Flashcards
waves
Cards in this deck (19)
- 1wavelengthis the distance between two adjacent peaks or two adjacent troughs.
- 2frequencythe number of peaks or troughs that pass a point each second.
unit= Hz (Hertz) - 3speedis how fast a wave travels per second.
unit= m/s (metres per second) - 4reflectionthe image of somebody or something that appears in a mirror or another reflecting surface. something such as light, radiant heat and sound.
- 5normalperpendicular to, as in the normal drawn as a construction line.
- 6refractionthe bonding of light at a bounding.
- 7refractive indexhow much the light bends as it goes into the material.
symbol= n - 8critical anglelight arriving at a boundary between any material, in which light travels more slowly than in air, and air at an angle greater than the critical angle is totally internally reflected.
- 9total internal relfectionthe complete reflection of a light ray at the boundary of the medium in which it is travelling, when the angle of incidence exceeds the critical angle.
- 10transversethe vibrations are at right angles to the direction of travel of the wave.
e.g light, x-rays, gamma rays - 11longitudinalthe particles move parallel to the direction of the wave.
e.g sound - 12amplitudesize of the wave oscillations- for a mechanical wave, how far the particles vibrate around their central position.
- 13compressiona area in a wave where the particles are squashed.
- 14rarefactionan area in a wave where the particles are more spread out.
- 15wavefrontthe moving line that joins all the points on the crest of a wave.
- 16echoewhen waves are reflected from a surface and the normal.
- 17light wavesa part of the EM spectrum that can be detected by the human eye.
- 18optical fibrea thin glass tube designed to carry information in the form of light through total internal reflection.
- 19virtual imagethe image formed in mirrors that appears to be behind the mirror.
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- International GCSE physics Flashcards on waves, created by kim hoper on 07/01/2015.
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- kim hoper
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