AQA AS Physics Definitions - Waves
LATEST UPDATE
amplitude
maximum displacement of a vibrating particle; for a transverse wave, it is the distance
from the middle to the peak of the wave.
antinode
fixed point in a stationary wave pattern where the amplitude is a maximum.
coherent
two sources of waves are coherent if they emit waves with a constant phase difference.
critical angle
the angle of incidence of a light ray must exceed the critical angle for total internal
reflection to occur.
cycle
interval for a vibrating particle (or a wave) from a certain displacement and velocity to
the next time the particle (or the next particle) that has the same displacement and
velocity.
diffraction
spreading of waves on passing through a gap or near an edge.
diffraction grating
a plate with many closely-ruled parallel slits on it.
dispersion
splitting of a beam of white light by a glass prism into colours.
electromagnetic wave
a wavepacket or photon consisting of transverse electric and magnetic waves in phase
and at right angles to each other.
endoscope
optical fibre device used to see inside cavities.
equilibrium
LATEST UPDATE
amplitude
maximum displacement of a vibrating particle; for a transverse wave, it is the distance
from the middle to the peak of the wave.
antinode
fixed point in a stationary wave pattern where the amplitude is a maximum.
coherent
two sources of waves are coherent if they emit waves with a constant phase difference.
critical angle
the angle of incidence of a light ray must exceed the critical angle for total internal
reflection to occur.
cycle
interval for a vibrating particle (or a wave) from a certain displacement and velocity to
the next time the particle (or the next particle) that has the same displacement and
velocity.
diffraction
spreading of waves on passing through a gap or near an edge.
diffraction grating
a plate with many closely-ruled parallel slits on it.
dispersion
splitting of a beam of white light by a glass prism into colours.
electromagnetic wave
a wavepacket or photon consisting of transverse electric and magnetic waves in phase
and at right angles to each other.
endoscope
optical fibre device used to see inside cavities.
equilibrium
