Waves

  1. Mechanical Wave: A disturbance in a matter that transfers energy through the matter
  • Transverse Wave: the medium of the wave vibrates perpendicular in which the energy travels
    • Amplitude is measured by how high the WL is
  • Longitudinal Wave: the medium vibrates parallel in which the energy travels
    • Compression: is where the medium is closer together
    • Rarefraction: the area behind the compression where the medium is spread out
    • Amplitude: how compressed the compression is and how refactored the rarefaction is
  1. Frequency: Number of complete WL that pass a certain point in a given time (the higher the frequency, the smaller the WL)
  • Unit: Hz
  • Equation: Wl/1sec
  1. Behavior of waves
  • Reflection occurs when waves bounce back from a surface they cannot pass through
  • Refraction occurs when waves bend as they enter a medium at an angle
  • Diffraction is the bending of waves around the corner of an obstacle or through an opening in an obstacle
  • Transmission the transfer of energy of a wave through a matter
  1. Electromagnetic Waves
  • They are Transverse Waves!
  • Produce when an electromagnetic charge vibrates and generates a magnetic field, which generates a magnetic field, and so on…
  • Order of lightwaves:
    • Gamma Rays
    • X-Rays
    • UV
    • Infared
    • Micro
    • Radio
  1. When amplitude of a light wave is charged, it affects the light as it intensifies it
  2. When the wavelength of a light wave is changed, the light is different (ex: gamma → UV)
  3. Melanin is found in the body in our skin tone, hair, and eye color. It protects the DNA by absorbing UV lights before it reaches DNA, which causes tans.
  4. Skin cancer is caused by UV lights damaging the DNA
  5. UV, Gamma, and X-Ray damage our skin cell. We narrowed down them by first seeing which light is different from the light bulb and the sun. Then we individually hit DNA with the light to see which one was damged.