General Wave Properties, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Light and Sound Flashcards

Fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering wave properties, formulas, reflection, refraction, the Doppler effect, the electromagnetic spectrum, light, and sound.

Waves transfer energy and information without transferring __________.

matter

In transverse waves, vibrations are at __________ to the direction of travel.

right angles

An example of a transverse wave is __________.

light

Longitudinal waves consist of compressions where particles are pushed together and __________ where particles are moved apart.

rarefactions

The distance from the equilibrium position to the maximum displacement is defined as the __________.

amplitude

The distance between a point on one wave and the same point on the next wave is the __________.

wavelength

The frequency of a wave is equal to the reciprocal of the __________.

time period

A change in the observed frequency and wavelength due to motion between a source and an observer is known as the __________.

Doppler effect

The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence equals the __________.

angle of reflection

If a wave enters a denser medium, its speed decreases and it bends towards the __________.

normal

When a wave undergoes refraction, the __________ stays the same while the wavelength changes.

frequency

All electromagnetic waves travel at the same high speed in a __________.

vacuum

Radio waves are reflected by a layer of the atmosphere called the __________.

ionosphere

Exposure to infrared radiation can cause __________.

skin burns

X-rays and Gamma rays are dangerous because they are __________ radiation that can cause mutations leading to cancer.

ionising

Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence is greater than the __________.

critical angle

The critical angle $c$ is related to the refractive index $n$ by the formula $n = \frac{1}{\text{sin}(c)}$.

$$\text{sin}(c) = \frac{1}{n}$$

An optical fibre consists of a thin rod of glass surrounded by __________ to allow total internal reflection.

cladding

The range of audible frequencies for a healthy human ear is $20\text{ Hz}$ to __________.

$$20000\text{ Hz}$$

An __________ connected to a microphone can be used to display a sound wave and find its frequency and amplitude.

oscilloscope

The greater the amplitude of a sound wave, the __________ it is.

louder

The greater the frequency of a sound wave, the higher its __________.

pitch