Waves and Their Applications Flashcards

What property of a wave is defined as the number of complete wave cycles that pass a given point per second?

Answer: Frequency

Frequency is the number of complete wave cycles passing a point per second, measured in hertz (Hz).

Which of the following types of waves requires a medium to travel through?

Answer: Sound waves

Sound is a mechanical wave and must travel through a physical medium such as air, water, or a solid.

If a wave's frequency increases while its speed stays constant, what happens to its wavelength?

Answer: It decreases

Since wave speed = frequency × wavelength, if frequency increases and speed is constant, wavelength must decrease.

The amplitude of a wave is best described as:

Answer: The maximum displacement of a medium from its rest position

Amplitude measures how far the wave displaces the medium from its equilibrium position, which relates to the wave's energy.

Which of the following is an example of a transverse wave?

Answer: Light wave traveling through space

Light waves are electromagnetic transverse waves in which oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy travel.

When a wave passes from one medium into another, which wave property always remains unchanged?

Answer: Frequency

Frequency is determined by the source of the wave and does not change when the wave enters a new medium.

Which equation correctly describes the relationship between wave speed (v), frequency (f), and wavelength (λ)?

Answer: v = f × λ

The wave equation states that wave speed equals frequency multiplied by wavelength (v = fλ).