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Physics 8
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is a wave? | A disturbance in a medium that propagates from one place to another, transferring energy without transferring matter. |
| What is amplitude? | The maximum magnitude of displacement from equilibrium; equal to ½ the distance from crest to trough. |
| What is wavelength (λ)? | The distance between adjacent identical points of a wave (e.g., crest to crest), measured in meters. |
| What is frequency (f)? | The number of waves passing a point per unit time, measured in Hz. |
| How are frequency and wavelength related? | Inversely proportional — higher frequency = shorter wavelength. |
| What is a transverse wave? | A wave where particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. Examples: stringed instruments, electromagnetic waves. |
| What is a longitudinal wave? | A wave where particle motion is parallel to the direction of wave propagation. It consists of compressions and rarefactions. Example: sound. |
| What happens when a wave moves into a less dense medium? | Less is transmitted, more is reflected. |
| What happens when a wave moves into a more dense medium? | More is transmitted, less is reflected. |
| What is constructive interference? | When two waves are superimposed and add together (crest meets crest), increasing amplitude. Occurs when phase difference is an even multiple of π (180°). |
| What is destructive interference? | When two waves cancel each other out (crest meets trough), reducing amplitude. Occurs when phase difference is an odd multiple of π. |
| What is a standing wave? | A wave pattern formed when two waves of the same amplitude and wavelength travel in opposite directions and interfere. It appears stationary. |
| What are nodes and antinodes? | Nodes are points of zero displacement (destructive interference). Antinodes are points of maximum displacement (constructive interference). |
| What harmonics are present in a pipe open at one end? | Only odd harmonics (n = 1, 3, 5, …). |
| What is the fundamental frequency? | The lowest frequency at which a standing wave can occur (n = 1). |
| How do harmonics and overtones relate? | The 1st overtone = 2nd harmonic, 2nd overtone = 3rd harmonic, etc. |
| Is sound a transverse or longitudinal wave? | Longitudinal. It requires a medium and cannot travel through a vacuum. |
| What is the audible range for humans? | 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Above = ultrasonic; below = infrasonic. |
| What does a 10 dB increase represent? | A 10-fold increase in intensity. |
| What is the Doppler Effect? | The apparent change in frequency of a wave when the source and observer move relative to each other. |
| What happens to perceived frequency when a source moves toward an observer? | Frequency increases (higher pitch). |
| What are the sign conventions in the Doppler formula? | Source and observer moving toward each other: vₛ is negative, v₀ is positive. Moving away: vₛ is positive, v₀ is negative. |
| What is beat frequency? | f_beat = |f₁ − f₂|. It is the perceived alternating rise and fall in loudness when two waves of slightly different frequencies interfere. |
| What is completely constructive interference? | Occurs when two waves are perfectly in phase — crests align with crests and troughs align with troughs. The amplitudes add together completely, producing maximum resultant amplitude. Phase difference = even multiple of π |
| What is completely destructive interference? | Occurs when two waves are perfectly out of phase — the crest of one aligns with the trough of the other. The amplitudes cancel completely, producing zero resultant amplitude. Phase difference = odd multiple of π |
Created by:
smurtab