Studied by 1 person
define amplitude
the maximum displacement of a vibrating particle or wave from its equilibrium/ undisturbed position
define wavelength
the distance between two identical points on a wave
define frequency
the number of complete oscillations of a wave per second
define a period
the time taken for a wave to complete one full cycle
what is displacement?
the distance and direction that a wave has travelled from its equilibrium position
what is phase?
measures how far a wave is into its cycle in radians or degrees
what is phase difference?
the difference in phase of two waves at a single point in time
what is path difference?
the length travelled by each of two waves that start at different points and arrive at the same point
what is superposition?
superposition is a result of constructive interference when two waves are completely in phase - their displacements will combine.
what does it mean when two waves are in phase?
their phase difference is 0radians or 0° or a multiple of 360°
what does it mean when two waves are completely anti phase?
their phase difference is 180° or pi radians
what is constructive interference?
when two waves that are in phase meet
what is destructive interference?
when two waves in anti phase meet. when one is at peak and the other is at trough, their addition results in a minimum point.
what is refraction?
when a wave crosses the boundary from one medium to another and changes speed and direction, either towards or away from the normal
what is reflection?
the bouncing of a wave off of a surface, with the angle of incidence equal to the angle of reflection
what is diffraction?
the spreading of waves when they pass through a gap or around an obstacle
what is the angle of refraction?
the angle between a refracted ray and the normal
what is the angle of reflection?
the angle between a reflected ray and the normal drawn at the point of incidence to a reflecting surface
how does the size of the gap affect diffraction?
maximum diffraction occurs when the gap size is similar to the wavelength of the wave
what type of waves are electromagnetic waves?
transverse waves
list the electromagnetic spectrum in ascending order of frequency
radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays
what is the speed of waves
