Waves - Fundamentals
This type of wave vibrates matter forward and backward in the medium, in the same direction as the wave is moving - along the same direction.
What is a longitudinal wave?
When a wave strikes a surface and bounces off it is referred to as this
What is reflection?
sound waves cannot carry energy through this
What is a vacuum?
The distance from peak to peak or trough to trough in a wave.
What is wavelength?
What type of wave is a sound wave?
longitudinal
This type of wave vibrates matter at right angles to the direction the wave is moving.
What is a transverse wave?
how a wave bends as it moves from one medium into another
What is refraction?
What is a medium? Give an example
Material that mechanical waves need to travel through. (This includes all but waves which travel at the speed of light - light, E-M waves, gravity waves, etc.)
solid, liquid, gas
What part of a wave measures/determines loudness?
The amplitude
If you were in outer-space, would anybody be able to hear you scream?
No. Sound requires a medium through which to travel.
This type of wave does not need matter to transfer energy.
What is an electromagnetic wave? (Also, gravity waves)
angle of incidence is 40o, what is the angle of reflection
40o
The matter that mechanical waves travel through is known as ____________.
What is a medium?
What happens when the pitch gets lower?
Frequency becomes lower, and hence energy becomes lower
Sound waves travel the fastest in what medium? The slowest in what medium?
fastest- solids
slowest- gases
slowest -> a vacuum OK
High frequency waves have _______ wavelengths.
What are SHORT wavelengths?
This is the bending of a wave as it moves around corners.
What is diffraction?
Sound waves will travel faster in this kind of matter.
What is a solid?
How can you tell if a wave has a high amount of energy?
Look at the frequency.
Higher frequency --> more energy
Explain why sound waves travel the fastest in solids.
solids: particles very tightly packed therefore sound waves can vibrate off of the particles very quickly.
In this part of a longitudinal wave the particles of the medium are closer together
What is compression?
In what type of medium do light waves travel the slowest? the fastest? (Solid, liquid, gas or a vacuum?)
slowest = solid
fastest = a vacuum
**light SLOWS down in more dense materials **
What type of wave can travel through a vacuum?
non-mechanical waves, which includes EM waves (Radio, Light, UV, Infrared, Microwave...), gravity waves,
The number of wavelengths that pass a given point per second.
What is frequency?
Explain how you would perceive the sound of a firetruck siren as it speeds towards you and speeds away from you.
towards you: short wavelength, high frequency, high pitch
away from you: long wavelength, low frequency, low pitch