physics- waves

• What do all waves transfer without transferring matter?

  Energy
• How are oscillations or vibrations passed along in waves?

  Through oscillations instead of particles
• What are longitudinal waves characterized by?

  Oscillations parallel to energy transfer
• What does the 'P' in seismic P waves stand for?

  Primary
• Why are P waves considered fast?

  They travel faster than S waves
• What do we call the areas where particles bunch up in longitudinal waves?

  Compressions
• What do we call the areas where particles are spread out in longitudinal waves?

  Rarefactions
• How do transverse waves differ from longitudinal waves?

  Oscillations are perpendicular to energy transfer
• What are seismic S waves also known as?

  Secondary waves
• Why are S waves slower than P waves?

  They cannot travel through liquids
• What does the symbol Lambda (λ) represent?

  Wavelength
• What is the formula for wave speed?

  V = F λ
• How can you find frequency from a waveform?

  Measure time period and divide
• What is the relationship between frequency and time period?

  They are reciprocals of each other
• What is the unit of frequency?

  Hertz
• How can you measure the speed of sound waves?

  Using a microphone and oscilloscope
• What happens when sound reaches a boundary between two different mediums?

  Some is transmitted, some is reflected
• What is sonar used for?

  To build a picture of underwater objects
• Why can't S waves travel through liquids?

  They cannot propagate in liquid mediums
• What is specular reflection?

  Reflection off a smooth surface
• What is diffuse reflection?

  Reflection off a rough surface
• What do electromagnetic waves not require to travel?

  A medium
• What are the sections of the electromagnetic spectrum?

  Radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma
• How are electromagnetic waves produced?

  When electrons lose energy
• What happens to the energy of a wave as frequency increases?

  It carries more energy
• What is a black body in physics?

  An object that absorbs all radiation
• What occurs if an object absorbs radiation faster than it emits?

  Its temperature increases
• What happens when light waves move from air to glass?

  They change speed and wavelength
• What is refraction?

  Change in direction of waves at a boundary
• How does light behave when it slows down in a medium?

  It moves closer to the normal
• What is the focal length of a lens?

  The distance from the center of the lens
• What does a convex lens do to parallel rays of light?

  It makes them converge
• What happens to the image formed by a convex lens when the object is far away?

  The image is diminished and inverted
• What is a virtual image?

  An image that cannot be projected
• How is magnification calculated?

  Image height divided by object height
• What determines the color we perceive?

  Different wavelengths of light emitted or reflected
• Why do leaves appear green?

  They reflect shorter wavelengths of light
• What is the effect of radiation absorption on temperature?

  Temperature increases with greater absorption
• What can happen if high-energy radiation is absorbed by DNA?

  It can cause mutations leading to cancer
• What is the role of the retina in vision?

  It detects light and color