Physics-waves

light waves and calculations including graphs and more..

Transverse wave definition

A wave in which the direction of oscillation

(vibration) is perpendicular (90°) to the

direction of energy transfer.

Classification of light waves

Transverse wave (part of the

electromagnetic spectrum).

Speed of light in a vacuum (c)

3.0 x 108 m/s (or

300, 000, 000 m/s).

Wave speed equation (v, f, lambda)

v = f x lambda ,where v is wave speed (m/s), f is

frequency (Hz), and lambda is wavelength (m).

Time period equation (T, f)

T= 1/f , where T' is time period in seconds (s)

and f is frequency in hertz (Hz).

Formula for frequency (f) rearranged

from wave speed

f = v/lambda

Frequency definition and unit

The number of complete waves passing a point

per second, measured in Hertz (Hz).

Converting kilohertz (kHz) to Hertz

(Hz)

Multiply by 1, 000 (or 103). Example:

2.5 kHz = 2, 500 Hz.

Converting Gigahertz (GHz) to Hertz

(Hz)

Multiply by 1,000, 000, 000 (or 10). Example:

2 GHz = 2 × 10 Hz.

Converting nanometers (nm) to

meters (m)

Multiply by 10- (or divide by 1, 000, 000, 000

). Example: 500 nm = 500 x 10-9 m.

what is the speed of a electromagnetic wave

The speed of an electromagnetic wave in a vacuum is 3 × 10 power of 8

what is the calculation for time period

T = 1/f

what is the difference between distance and time graph in a wave

For a wave, a distance-time graph plots distance against time to show how far the wave travels, whereas a displacement-distance (or displacement-time) graph shows the shape of the wave or the oscillation of a single particle over time.