aqa-physics-p1-flash-cards
What are mechanical waves? - Vibrations which travel through a medium
(substance).
What are electromagnetic waves? - Electric and magnetic disturbances that
transfer energy from one place to another.
What are transverse waves? - Wave in which vibration is perpendicular to the
direction of energy transfer.
What are longitudinal waves? - Waves in which the vibrations are parallel to
the direction of energy transfer.
What do longitudinal waves consist of? - Compressions and rarefactions.
When a sound wave passes through air, what happens to the air particles at
a compression? - The air particles are all squeezed together.
What is the amplitude of the wave? - The height of the wave crest or the
depth of the wave trough from the middle.
How does the size of the amplitude affect the amount of energy the wave
carries? - The bigger the amplitude, the more energy the waves carry.
What is the wavelength? - The distance from one wave crest to the next
crest
What is the frequency? - the number of wave crests passing a fixed point per
second.
,aqa-physics-p1-flash-cards
What is the unit of frequency? - Hertz (Hz) One wave crest per second is a
frequency of 1 Hz.
What is the speed of a wave? - The distance travelled by a wave crest or
trough every second.
What is the equation for wave speed? - Wave speed (m/s) = frequency (Hz) x
wavelength (m)
v=f×λ
What is a plane mirror? - A mirror which is perfectly flat. You see an exact
image of yourself.
What is the normal? - The perpendicular line to the mirror
What is the angle of incidence? - The angle between the incident ray and the
normal. (incident ray from a ray box)
What is the angle of reflection? - The angle between the normal and the
reflected ray.
If A ray box shines a light into a mirror so that the wavefront is parallel to the
mirror, what would the reflected ray look like? - The reflected ray would be
exactly equal to the ray shone onto the mirror, if this ray was exactly
straight on. (if a light ray is shone along the normal, the reflected ray will
also be along the normal)
For any light ray reflected by a plane mirror, the angle of incidence is equal
to .... - The angle of reflection.
, aqa-physics-p1-flash-cards
How is the image formed in a plane mirror? - The image is always formed
behind the mirror. the object and the image are equal distances from the
mirror.
What type of image is formed in a plane mirror? - Virtual.
What is a virtual image? (what are the properties?) - Upright (same way up as
the object) and laterally inverted (back to front but not upside down).
Virtual image cannot be projected onto a screen.
What is a real image? (what are the properties?) - An image on a screen.
Formed by focusing light rays onto a screen.
Why do ambulances often have 'ambulance' written back to front ? - So when
the driver in the vehicle in front looks in their mirror they can read the sign
properly. (virtual image - laterally inverted)
What is refraction? - The change in the direction of waves when they travel
across a boundary.
Fill in the gaps:
A light ray changes direction ............ the normal when it travels from ...... to
glass. The angle of ..... is smaller than the angle of .....
What are mechanical waves? - Vibrations which travel through a medium
(substance).
What are electromagnetic waves? - Electric and magnetic disturbances that
transfer energy from one place to another.
What are transverse waves? - Wave in which vibration is perpendicular to the
direction of energy transfer.
What are longitudinal waves? - Waves in which the vibrations are parallel to
the direction of energy transfer.
What do longitudinal waves consist of? - Compressions and rarefactions.
When a sound wave passes through air, what happens to the air particles at
a compression? - The air particles are all squeezed together.
What is the amplitude of the wave? - The height of the wave crest or the
depth of the wave trough from the middle.
How does the size of the amplitude affect the amount of energy the wave
carries? - The bigger the amplitude, the more energy the waves carry.
What is the wavelength? - The distance from one wave crest to the next
crest
What is the frequency? - the number of wave crests passing a fixed point per
second.
,aqa-physics-p1-flash-cards
What is the unit of frequency? - Hertz (Hz) One wave crest per second is a
frequency of 1 Hz.
What is the speed of a wave? - The distance travelled by a wave crest or
trough every second.
What is the equation for wave speed? - Wave speed (m/s) = frequency (Hz) x
wavelength (m)
v=f×λ
What is a plane mirror? - A mirror which is perfectly flat. You see an exact
image of yourself.
What is the normal? - The perpendicular line to the mirror
What is the angle of incidence? - The angle between the incident ray and the
normal. (incident ray from a ray box)
What is the angle of reflection? - The angle between the normal and the
reflected ray.
If A ray box shines a light into a mirror so that the wavefront is parallel to the
mirror, what would the reflected ray look like? - The reflected ray would be
exactly equal to the ray shone onto the mirror, if this ray was exactly
straight on. (if a light ray is shone along the normal, the reflected ray will
also be along the normal)
For any light ray reflected by a plane mirror, the angle of incidence is equal
to .... - The angle of reflection.
, aqa-physics-p1-flash-cards
How is the image formed in a plane mirror? - The image is always formed
behind the mirror. the object and the image are equal distances from the
mirror.
What type of image is formed in a plane mirror? - Virtual.
What is a virtual image? (what are the properties?) - Upright (same way up as
the object) and laterally inverted (back to front but not upside down).
Virtual image cannot be projected onto a screen.
What is a real image? (what are the properties?) - An image on a screen.
Formed by focusing light rays onto a screen.
Why do ambulances often have 'ambulance' written back to front ? - So when
the driver in the vehicle in front looks in their mirror they can read the sign
properly. (virtual image - laterally inverted)
What is refraction? - The change in the direction of waves when they travel
across a boundary.
Fill in the gaps:
A light ray changes direction ............ the normal when it travels from ...... to
glass. The angle of ..... is smaller than the angle of .....
