Features of Waves and Electromagnetic Spectrum

This page delves deeper into wave characteristics and introduces the electromagnetic spectrum, essential topics for GCSE Physics waves questions and answers.

The page begins by defining key wave measurements:

Vocabulary:

• Amplitude: The maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its undisturbed position.
• Wavelength: The distance between the same point on two adjacent waves.
• Frequency: The number of complete waves passing a certain point per second, measured in hertz (Hz).

The concept of wave period is introduced, along with its relationship to frequency:

Definition: The period of a wave is the amount of time it takes for a full cycle of the wave to be completed.

Highlight: Period = 1/Frequency or T = 1/f

The page then transitions to electromagnetic waves, describing them as transverse waves consisting of vibrating electric and magnetic fields. The electromagnetic spectrum is presented as a continuous spectrum of all possible wavelengths of electromagnetic waves.

Example: The electromagnetic spectrum includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays, arranged in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength.

The document concludes by discussing wave behavior at boundaries between different materials, including absorption, reflection, and transmission. This information is particularly relevant for answering questions about waves in GCSE Physics Combined Science.

Wave Basics and Types

This page introduces fundamental concepts of waves in GCSE Physics, focusing on transverse and longitudinal waves.

Waves are oscillations that transfer energy without transferring matter. They can be classified into two main types: transverse and longitudinal waves.

Definition: A wave is an oscillation that transfers energy without transferring any matter, by making the particles of the substance (or fields) that it is travelling through oscillate.

Transverse waves have oscillations perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer. Examples include light, electromagnetic waves, and water ripples.

Example: A transverse wave on a spring demonstrates oscillations perpendicular to the wave's direction of travel.

Longitudinal waves have oscillations parallel to the direction of energy transfer. Sound waves and compressions in a spring are examples of longitudinal waves.

The document introduces the wave speed equation for AQA Physics GCSE:

Highlight: Speed (m/s) = frequency (Hz) x wavelength (m)

This equation is crucial for solving waves GCSE Physics questions related to wave speed, frequency, and wavelength.

The page concludes by emphasizing that waves transfer energy but not matter, providing examples such as water ripples and sound waves to illustrate this concept.