General Properties of Waves

Flashcards covering definitions, types, formulas, and behaviors of waves based on the Chapter 3.1 lecture notes.

Waves (Wave motion)

The transfer of energy without transferring matter, where particles oscillate about a fixed point.

Transverse waves

Waves that have peaks and troughs, where vibrations are at right angles to the direction of travel.

Longitudinal waves

Waves consisting of compressions and rarefactions, where vibrations are in the same direction as the direction of travel.

Compressions

Parts of a longitudinal wave where particles are pushed together.

Rarefactions

Parts of a longitudinal wave where particles are moved apart.

Seismic S-waves

Secondary earthquake waves which are examples of transverse waves.

Seismic P-waves

Primary earthquake waves which are examples of longitudinal waves.

Amplitude

The distance from the equilibrium position to the maximum displacement.

Wavelength

The distance between a point on one wave and the same point on the next wave, denoted by the unit $m$.

Frequency

The number of waves that pass a single point per second, measured in $Hz$ ($s^{-1}$).

Speed

The distance travelled by a wave each second, measured in $m/s$.

Wave Speed Equation

$v = f \times \lambda$, where $v$ is speed ($m/s$), $f$ is frequency ($Hz$), and $\lambda$ is wavelength ($m$).

Frequency and Period Relation

The formula $f = \frac{1}{T}$, where $f$ is frequency measured in $Hz$ and $T$ is the period measured in $s$.

Wavefront

A surface containing points affected in the same way by a wave at a given time, such as crests or troughs.

Reflection

When a wave bounces off a surface; defined by the rule that the angle of incidence = angle of reflection.

Refraction

When a wave changes direction (bends) as it enters a different medium because the speed of the wave changes.

Diffraction

When a wave spreads out after passing through a gap or around an obstacle, becoming more noticeable when the gap is small relative to the wavelength.