Physics - Waves


Flashcards

What is the symbol for wavelength?


\[\lambda\]

What is the symbol for the period of oscillation in a wave?


\[T\]

What is the symbol for wave speed?


\[v\]

What is the frequnecy of a wave?


The number of wavelengths passing through a given point per unit time.

What is the period of oscillation of a wave?


The time taken for a wave to move one whole wavelength past a given point.

What is the wavelength?


The distance between any point on a wave and then next identical point on an adjacent wave.

What is the wave speed?


The distance travelled by the wave per unit time.

What is the wave equation, in terms of $v$, $f$ and $\lambda$?


\[v = f\lambda\]

What is the formula for frequency in terms of period $T$?


\[f = \frac{1}{T}\]

What is a progressive wave?


A wave that transfers energy but not matter.

What is a transverse wave?


A wave where the oscillations are perpindicular to the direction of energy transfer.

What is a longitudinal wave?


A wave where the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer.

What is a mechanical wave?


A wave that requires a medium to travel through.

What is a wave that requires a medium to travel through called?


A mechanical wave.

What is special about electromagnetic waves?


They don’t require a medium to travel through.

What is the name for waves that don’t require a medium to travel through?


An electromagnetic wave.

In a longitudinal wave, what’s one way you could measure the wave length?


Find the distance between a pair of compressions/rarefactions.

What is the main difference between transverse and longitudinal waves?


In a transverse wave, oscillations are perpindicular to energy transfer whereas they are parallel in a longitudinal wave.

Since transverse and longitudinal waves are both progressive waves, what must be true?


They both transfer enrgy but not matter.

PHOTO WAVE RAREFACTION What is this called?


A rarefaction.

PHOTO WAVE COMPRESSION What is this called?


A compression.

PHOTO WAVE NO EQUILIBRIUM What is missing?


The equilbrium position.

PHOTO WAVE NO PEAK What is missing?


The peak.

PHOTO WAVE NO TROUGH What is missing?


The trough.

PHOTO WAVE NO AMPLITUDE What is missing?


Amplitude.

PHOTO WAVE NO WAVELENGTH What is missing?


Wavelength.

What is a wave profile?


A displacement-distance graph.

On a displacement-distance graph, what is on the $x$ axis?


Distance.

On a displacement-distance graph, what does the distance between two troughs equal?


The wavelength.

On a displacement-time graph, what does the time between two troughs equal?


The period.

2021-02-09

PHOTO PHASE VISUAL What does this demonstrate?


The phase of a point on the wave.

What is phsae difference measured in?


  • Degrees
  • Radians

PHOTO PHASE VISUAL How does the angle the radius makes with the circle relate to the wave?


That’s the phase of the point on the wave.

PHOTO PHASE POINTS What is the phase difference between $A$ and $E$?


\[360^{\circ}\]

PHOTO PHASE POINTS What is the phase difference between $A$ and $C$?


\[180^{\circ}\]

PHOTO PHASE POINTS What is the phase difference between $B$ and $D$?


\[180^{\circ}\]

PHOTO PHASE POINTS What is the phase difference between $B$ and $C$?


\[90^{\circ}\]

What does it mean for two particles to be “in phase”?


They are oscillating perfectly in step with each other.

What does it mean for two particles being “in antiphase”?


They are oscillating perfectly out of step with each other.

PHOTO DISPLACEMENT DISTANCE 0 What would the wave profile for $T - \frac{T}{2}$ look like?


PHOTO DISPLACEMENT DISTANCE HALF T

What’s the formula for $\phi$, the phase difference in degrees between two points on a wave of wavelength $\lambda$ and seperated by a distance $x$?


\[\theta = \frac{x}{\lambda} \times 360^{\circ}\]

2021-06-08

What colour of visible light has the SHORTEST wavelength?


Blue.

What colour of visible light has the LONGEST wavelength?


Red.

2021-07-08

What is the principle of superposition of waves?


Displacement of a wave is equal to the sum of the displacements of the individual waves.

2021-09-19

What is the formula for the phase difference between two points with time difference $t$ and time period $T$?


\[2\pi\left(\frac{t}{T}\right)\]

What is the formula for the phase difference between two points with distance between $d$ and wavelength $\lambda$?


\[2\pi\left(\frac{d}{\lambda}\right)\]

2022-06-01

What is true about the amplitude of a wave $A$ and the distance from its source $r$?


\[A \propto \frac{1}{r}\]



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