Waves

• Waves are oscillations of particles or fields that can either transfer energy or store energy.
• Progressive waves transfer energy and can be either longitudinal, where particles are oscillating in the same direction as the energy transfer, or transverse, where particles are oscillating at 90 degrees to the direction of energy transfer.
• The distance from one point on a wave to the equivalent point on the next wave is known as the wavelength, symbolized as lambda.
• The time from one part of a wave to the equivalent part on the next wave is known as the time period, symbolized as T.
• The distance between the slits on a diffraction grating, D, can be measured and used to determine the wavelength of light.
• A diffraction grating is a device that consists of thousands or millions of slits and is used to produce a pattern when laser light is shone through it.
• A single slit can produce a bright central maxima and a dark fringe when illuminated with monochromatic light.
• The angle between any two lines on a diffraction grating, Theta, is related to the wavelength of light according to the equation D sin Theta = n lambda.
• When white light is shone through a single slit, a bright white central maxima is observed, followed by a dark fringe and a spectrum of light on either side.
• A wave with a longer time period has a lower frequency and can be calculated using the equation T is equal to 1 over F or F is equal to 1 over T.
• The phase of a wave is the part of the cycle that it's in, which can be at its maximum displacement, at its minimum displacement, or in equilibrium.
• The phase of a wave can also be represented as 360 degrees or in radians.
• Different parts of a wave can be in phase, out of phase by a half wave cycle, or any other fraction of a wave cycle.
• Examples of transverse waves include the waves on a string and water ripples.
• A stationary wave is coherent, meaning it has a similar amplitude, wavelength, and frequency.
• The point of maximum displacement in a stationary wave is called the anti node.
• The speed of a wave is equal to the frequency of the wave multiplied by the wavelength in meters.
• The most extreme case of interference is when a wave and another wave which are perfectly in phase reach their maximum, resulting in an even bigger maximum amplitude.
• If a wave can be polarized, it can be used in sunglasses and transmit radio waves.
• The opposite of interference is when a wave is half a wave cycle out of phase with another one, resulting in a minimum when the two waves are added together.
• In a stationary wave, one end of the string is fixed, creating a node, and the other end is fixed, creating a node.
• The principle of superposition states that the two displacements of a wave are added together to get the final displacement.
• A stationary wave can be created on a string by setting up the first harmonic.
• A stationary wave is a wave that is traveling along the string, bounces off the end, and then interferes with itself.
• The first harmonic in a stationary wave is known as a stationary wave.
• Interference is when one wave interferes with another.
• If a wave is reflected off a surface and travels back, it can interfere with the original wave, creating a stationary wave.
• Maximum destructive interference occurs when the path difference is half a wavelength out from the other one.
• Transverse waves can be polarized, while longitudinal waves cannot.
• Constructive interference occurs when the path difference is equal to zero or a multiple of a wavelength.
• In a stationary wave, each end is a node, and the middle is a point of maximum displacement, which is called the anti node.
• The first harmonic is calculated using the formula 1 over 2 L where L is the distance from this end to this end, multiplied by the square root of T over mu, where T is the tension in the string and mu is the mass per unit length.
• If the frequency in a stationary wave is increased, a second harmonic is created.
• Examples of longitudinal waves include sound waves and ultrasound, while transverse waves include the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• In a vacuum, electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light, which is 3.00 times 10^8 meters per second, and can be calculated using the equation C is equal to F lambda.
• The critical angle is the point where the angle of refraction is equal to 90 degrees, at which point the ray of light does not actually leave the material but travels along the surface and out the other side.
• The critical angle is represented as θC.
• Refraction is caused when a wave slows down or speeds up and changes direction as it passes from one medium into another.
• A right-angle triangle is represented as θ.
• The second-order maxima is a line that comes down from the hypotenuse, with the opposites being two λ.