Created by sophie_burke
over 10 years ago
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Question | Answer |
Electromagnetic waves | Vibrating electric and magnetic fields that progress through space without the need for substance |
Longitudinal waves | Waves in which the direction of the vibration of the particles are parallel to the direction in which the wave travels |
Transverse waves | Waves in which the direction of vibration is perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels |
Displacement | A vibrating particles distance and direction from its equilibrium position |
Amplitude | Maximum displacement of a vibrating particle. In transverse waves it is the height of a wave crest or depth of a wave trough from the middle |
Wavelength | Distance between adjacent crests |
One complete cycle of a wave | From one wave peak to the next |
Period | Time for one complete wave to pass a fixed point |
Frequency | Number of complete waves passing a point per second. Unit: Hertz (Hz) |
Phase difference | The fraction of a cycle between the vibration of two particles, measured in either degrees or radians |
Wavefronts | Waves that are observed in a ripple tank |
Reflection | Straight waves directed at a certain angle to a hard flat surface reflect off at the same angle |
Refraction | When waves pass across a boundary at which the wave speed changes, the wavelength also changes. If the wave fronts are at a non-zero angle to the boundary, they change direction as well as changing speed |
Diffraction | Waves spread out after passing through a gap or round an object. The narrower the gap or the longer the wavelength, the more the wave spread out |
Principle of superposition | When two waves meet, the total displacement at a point is equal to the sum of the individual displacements at that point |
Supercrest | When a crest meets a crest, the two waves reinforce each other |
Supertrough | Where a trough meets a trough and they reinforce each other |
When a trough meets a crest | Resultant displacement is zero; the two waves cancel each other out |
Stationary waves | Formed on a rope if two people send waves continuously along the rope from either end, the ends are fixed points |
Progressive waves | The sets of waves sent to form a stationary wave |
Nodes | Points of no displacement |
Interference | The effect of waves constantly passing through each other creating cancellation and reinforcement |
Pitch | Corresponds to frequency. Raising the tension or shortening the length (of a string on a guitar) increases the pitch, lowering the tension or increasing the length lowers the pitch |
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