Waves

• What do waves transfer without transferring matter?

  Energy
• What happens to the particles of a medium when a wave travels through it?

  The particles vibrate
• What can happen to waves when they reach the boundary of a material?

  They can be reflected, refracted, transmitted, or absorbed
• What are the two types of waves?

  Transverse and longitudinal
• In a transverse wave, how are the oscillations oriented in relation to the direction of travel?


  They are perpendicular (90°) to the direction of travel
• Why can't sound travel through a vacuum?

  There are no air particles to vibrate
• What are the four important features of waves?

  • Crest: the top of the wave (peak)
  • Trough: the bottom of the wave
  • Amplitude: distance from rest position to crest
  • Wavelength: distance between one point on a wave to the same point on the next wave
• What is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection when light is reflected?

  The angle of incidence is the same as the angle of reflection
• What occurs to a light ray when it is refracted?

  The light ray bends, either towards or away from the normal
• In a longitudinal wave, how are the oscillations oriented in relation to the direction of travel?

  They are parallel to the direction of travel
• How can sound waves be visualized?

  Using an oscilloscope
• What does frequency measure in waves?

  The number of waves produced in one second
• In what unit is frequency measured?

  Hertz (Hz)
• How do changes in frequency and amplitude affect sound waves?

  • Changing frequency changes pitch
  • Changing amplitude changes volume
• What type of wave is sound classified as?

  Longitudinal wave
• What does sound need to travel through?


  A solid, liquid, or gas
• What is light a part of?

  • The electromagnetic spectrum
  • The 7 electromagnetic waves are:
  • Radio waves
  • Microwaves
  • Infrared
  • Visible light
  • Ultraviolet
  • X-rays
  • Gamma rays
• Longitudinal waves have particles vibrating parallel to the direction of energy transfer.
• similarities of transverse an longitudinal waves

  transfer energy

  reflected and refracted

  types of waves
• Differences of transverse and longitudinal waves

  Longitudinal (sound) is faster than transverse (light)

  Light waves do not need a medium to transfer energy unlike a transverse wave
• In what type of medium does sound travel the fastest ?

  In a solid because the particles are closely packed and easy to vibrate with out losing energy.
• Light travels fastest through vacuum/empty space.
• Sound travels faster through solids than liquids because molecules in solids are closer together so they can transmit more easily.
• Angle of incidence=angle of reflection
• Reflection from a smooth surface is called ?

  specular reflection
• Reflection from a rough surface is?


  Diffuse scattering.