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Unit 3 Summary - What does a wave tell us? - Coggle Diagram
Unit 3 Summary - What does a wave tell us?
A wave travels through matter, but does not carry it.
A wave can carry energy and is considered a 'disturbance'.
A wave travels THROUGH matter but does not carry it.
The movement of a wave is called a propagation'
A wave, when propagating through a medium, can create the illusion that it is moving down said medium, but it is just moving up and down.
All matter that is affected by the wave will always return to its original place, meaning it has essentially not moved at all;
When a wave meets a barrier, it will either pass through it or bounce back. For example, a light wave may be able to pass through it, but a sound wave will be bounced back (called a reflection).
When a light wave bounces back, it is called a reflection. When a sound wave bounces back, it is called an echo.
When 2 waves meet, they will pass through each there. The point where they meet is where they will combine. When 2 waves combine, it is called an interference.
If 2 waves combine to make bigger wave, it is called constructive interference. If 2 waves combine to make a smaller wave, it is called destructive interference.
If the crest of 1 wave hits the trough of another, then they will cancel out.
Waves can be categorised into 2 categories; transverse and longitudinal.
A transverse wave is when the wave oscillates up and down but creates the illusion that it is moving forward. Matter that is effected may move but will always return to its original position. Examples of transverse waves include radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays and more under the electromagnetic spectrum.
A longitudinal wave is when the wave oscillates in the direction that the wave is travelling in. The particles in the air move back and forth and always return to their original position. This is also how sound travels.
We can differentiate waves by their characteristics.
Amplitude: Amplitude is the height of a wave.
Time period: How long it takes a wave to pass through a point.
Wavelength: The distance from 1 peak of a wave to another.
Frequency: How long it takes for 1 oscillation of a wave to occur.
Sounds lower than our point of hearing are called infrasound, while sounds higher than our point of hearing are called ultrasound.
Sound is a type of mechanical wave. A mechanical wave requires a medium to travel. This is why there is no sound in Space, which has no air. Air acts as the medium.
A way to increase the volume of a sound is to use an amplifier. Resonance is the process of increasing the volume of a sound.
White is a combination of all the colours of the rainbow. Black is the absence of colour.