Waves incl sound Flashcards
What is a transverse wave?
One in which the oscillations take place at right angles to the direction the wave is traveling.
What is a longitudinal wave?
A wave in which the oscillations are parallel to the direction the wave is travelling.
What are electromagnetic waves classed as?
Transverse waves
What are sound waves classed as?
Longitudinal
What are water waves classed as?
Transverse but they are actually transverse and longitudinal.
What is the amplitude of a wave?
The distance from the maximum movement of particles to the resting position (the dotted line)
What is a wave?
A mean of transferring energy from place to place.
What is the wavelength of a wave?
The distance from a particular point on a wave and the same point on the next wave.
What is the frequency of a wave?
The number of waves produced each second. Measured in hertz.
What is the time period of a wave?
The time it takes to produce one wave.
What is an oscillation?
A repetitive ‘to and fro’ movement. E.g a mass ‘bouncing’ up and down on a spring.
What is the relationship between speed, frequency and the wavelength of a wave?
Wave speed = frequency x wavelength
V = f x l (Greek l)
What is the relationship between frequency and time period?
Frequency = 1/time period f = 1/T
What is T measured in?
Seconds
What happens when plane waves reflect off a concave barrier?
The waves reflect off twice as curved, they are brought to a focus but these is no change in wavelength.
Uses of visible light fluorescence
-highlighters
-security markers on money
-forensics
-teeth whitening
-washing powder
The ozone layer absorbs UV rays.
What are ultraviolet waves?
Waves with a harmful ionising effect, they have high energy. Some chemicals absorb UV light and emit visible light fluorescence so are used in fluorescent lighting.
Uses of X-rays?
Observing the internal structure of objects and materials and medical applications
What is a CAT scan?
Many x rays taken from different angles and the images combined produce a 3D image that can be ‘sliced’.
What are X rays and how are they produced?
X-rays pass through skin, cartilage and tissue but not through bone so a sensitive material on the other side of a source of x rays will emit an image.
Produced by firing electrons at a metallic tungsten plate and they get slowed down, quickly changing the electrons into x rays.
Does the speed of water waves ever change?
No as the frequency increases the wavelength decreases.
What is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection?
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
Why do waves travel more slowly in shallower water?
As a wave enters a region of shallower water the wavelength is decreased, yet the frequency remains the same. In deeper water their wavelength increases.
What is refraction?
When a change in speed causes a change in direction of travel at the boundary eg water waves bend towards the normal when travelling from deep to shallow water