Waves Physics

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What are waves?

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Waves carry energy, without the transfer of matter.

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What are mechanical waves?

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Mechanical waves travel through a physical medium such as air, water, or a rope

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49 Terms

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What are waves?

Waves carry energy, without the transfer of matter.

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What are mechanical waves?

Mechanical waves travel through a physical medium such as air, water, or a rope

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What are wave pulse?

A single bump that travels is through a medium

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What are Transverse waves?

Waves that disturbs in medium perpendicular to the direction of the wave

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What are periodic waves?

A disturbance/bump at a constant rate

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What is a Longitudinal wave?

The disturbance is parallel to the direction of the waves travel

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What is a surface wave?

The medium particle can follow parallel or perpendicular depending on the direction of wave travel.

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What is amplitude?

Measured from the crest or from the trough to the line of rest

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You need more energy when?

More the energy is needed for a greater amplitude

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What are examples of wave?

  • Water
  • Sound
  • Light
  • Heat
  • Radioactivity
  • Tide
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Properties of Waves

  • Frequency
  • Wavelength
  • Crest/Trough
  • Attenuation
  • Amplitude
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What are three mechanical waves?

  • Transverse Waves
  • Longitudinal Waves
  • Torsional Waves
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What is Gravitational waves?

Very large mass produce waves that travel at c = speed of light

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Waves Interference

Occurs when two or more waves act simultaneously on the same particles of a medium resulting in a new displacement.

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What is the principle of superposition?

That the resultant displacement of a given particle is equal to the sum of displacements that would have been produced by each wave independently

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What is a constructive interference?

Occurs when the resultant displacement is greater than the displacement that would be caused by either wave

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destructive interference

occurs when the resultant displacement is smaller than the displacement caused by one wave

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Standing wave

Can be defined as the resultant of two wave trains of the same wavelength, frequency and amplitude travelling in opposite directions through the same medium

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node/ or nodal point

the point that remains at rest when positive and negative pulses of equal amplitude and length travel in opposite directions and interfere

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Loop / anitnodes

Occur midway between the nodes, and are areas where double crest and double troughs occur

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If frequency increases, the wavelength will

decrease

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in standing waves if the frequency is larger

the closer the nodal points are

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A wave that vibrates at right angles (perpendicular) to the equilibrium position is said to be a?

transverse wave

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Frequency is measured in?

hertz

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wavelength is measured in?

meters

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periods are measured in

seconds

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wave transfer in the form of a through a medium

Energy , Disturbance

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A periodic wave has

a constant frequency

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When a string is vibrated at its fundamental frequency, loop(s) will be formed.

1 loop will be formed

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As a wave moves from a faster medium to a slower medium

the frequency remains constant

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Crest is related to trough as compression is related to

rarefraction

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the reflected pulse from a fixed end reflection

would be on the opposite side of the rest line as the incident pulse

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the transmitted wave created by a wave moving from a heavier string to a lighter string

would increase in speed

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the reflected wave created by a wave moving from a lighter spring to a heavier spring

would be similar to a fixed end reflection

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destructive interference creates a wave with a smaller

amplitude

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the electromagnetic spectrum does not include

sound waves b/c it has a medium and electromagnetic waves don't have a medium

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standing waves produce

-nodes
-interference
-loops

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if the frequency of violet light is greater than the frequency of red light, then the?

wavelength of red light is greater than the violet light

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What is the period of a pendulum that takes 1 second to make a complete back and forth vibration?

1 second

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Distinguish between the following parts of a transverse wave: Amplitude, crest, trough, wavelength

the picture
Amplitude - max displacement
Crest - point of the greatest positive displacement
Trough - point of the greatest negative displacement

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Distinguish between the period and the frequency of a vibration or wave. how do they relate to one another

period - time to complete one cycle
frequency - how many cycles occur in the given time

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Does the medium in which a wave travels move along with the wave itself? Defend your answer

No. The disturbance moves not the medium itself

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How does the speed of a wave relate to its wavelength and frequency?

Speed = wavelength x frequency

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As the frequency of sound is increased, does the wavelength increase or decrease. Give example

Decrease; my voice creates a high pitch voice when I am louder

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distinguish between constructive and destructive interference

Constructive - causes and additive effect
destructive - cancelling effect

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What causes a standing wave?

Interference of inverted waves with the same frequency, wavelength, speed, and amplitude

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A nurse counts 76 heartbeats in 1.0 minute; What are the period and frequency of the heart beats?

T = 0.79s F = 1.3 Hz

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What is electromagnetic waves?

electromagnetic spectrum
deep space waves, radio waves, IR light visible waves, x-ray micro-waves

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what are torsional waves

amplitude is around the axis of propagation