Properties of WavesEdexcel GCSE Physics: Flashcards
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What do waves transfer, and what do they NOT transfer?
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- What do waves transfer, and what do they NOT transfer?
- Waves transfer energy and information; they do not transfer matter — the medium does not travel with the wave.
- Give evidence that it is the wave, not the water, that travels.
- A cork on water bobs up and down as a ripple passes but does not move outward with the wave.
- Define frequency.
- The number of complete waves passing a point per second, measured in hertz (Hz).
- Define wavelength.
- The distance from one point on a wave to the identical point on the next wave, e.g. crest to crest.
- Define amplitude.
- The maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its undisturbed (rest) position.
- Define period.
- The time taken for one complete wave to pass a fixed point.
- What is a wavefront?
- A line joining points on a wave that are in phase, showing the wave's shape and direction of travel.
- What is the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves?
- Transverse waves vibrate at right angles to the direction of energy transfer; longitudinal waves vibrate parallel to it, forming compressions and rarefactions.
- Give an example each of a transverse and a longitudinal wave.
- Transverse: electromagnetic waves (or water waves, seismic S-waves). Longitudinal: sound waves (or seismic P-waves).
- State the two wave speed equations.
- v = f × λ (speed = frequency × wavelength) and v = x/t (speed = distance ÷ time).
- How can you measure the speed of sound in air?
- Two people stand a known distance apart; one makes a sound, the other times from seeing the action to hearing the sound; speed = distance ÷ time, repeated and averaged.
- What happens to a wave at a boundary between materials?
- It can be reflected, refracted, transmitted or absorbed.
- Why does refraction happen?
- Because the wave changes speed as it crosses into a different material; if it hits the boundary at an angle, this speed change also changes its direction.
- What is absorption of a wave?
- A material taking in the wave's energy, often converting it into heat, rather than reflecting or transmitting it.