Waves in air fluids or solids

• What are the two types of waves?

  Transverse and longitudinal.
• What is a transverse wave?


  A wave for which the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer.
• What is a longitudinal wave?

  A wave for which the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer.
• Give two examples of transverse waves.

  1. Electromagnetic waves
  2. Seismic s-waves
• Give two examples of longitudinal waves.

  1. Sound waves
  2. Seismic p-waves
• What are the two parts of a longitudinal wave called?

  Compressions and rarefactions.
• What is a wave's amplitude?

  The maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its undisturbed position.
• What is wavelength?


  • The distance from a point on a wave to the same position on the adjacent wave
  • Most commonly peak to peak or trough to trough
• What is the frequency of a wave?

  The number of waves that pass a given point each second.
• What is the unit used for frequency?

  Hertz, Hz
• What is meant by a frequency of 200Hz?

  200 waves pass a given point each second.
• What is wave speed?

  The speed at which the wave moves or at which energy is transferred through a medium.
• What does a wave transfer?

  Energy
• State the equation used to calculate wave speed.

  Give appropriate units.

  Wave Speed = Frequency × Wavelength

  Speed (m/s), Frequency (Hz), Wavelength (m)
• What word is used to describe when a wave bounces off a surface?


  Reflection
• How do sound waves travel through a solid?

  The particles in the solid vibrate and transfer kinetic energy through the material.
• What is the frequency range of human hearing?

  20 Hz - 20kHz

  (1kHz = 1000 Hz)
• What are ultrasound waves?

  Waves which have a frequency higher than the upper limit of human hearing (20kHz).
• Give an example use for ultrasound waves?

  Medical or industrial imaging.
• What natural event causes seismic waves to be produced? What types are produced?

  • Earthquakes
  • They produce both P-waves and S-waves
• State a difference between the mediums that P-waves and S-waves can travel through.

  • P-waves travel through both solids and liquids
  • S-waves only travel through solids (not liquids)
• What technique is used to detect objects in deep water and measure water depth?

  • Echo sounding
  • High frequency sound waves are emitted, reflected and detected
  • Time difference between emission and detection, alongside wave speed, are used to calculate distances