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Questions and Answers
What happens to the frequency, wavelength, and speed of a wave when it is reflected?
What happens to the frequency, wavelength, and speed of a wave when it is reflected?
In the law of reflection, what is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection?
In the law of reflection, what is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection?
When a wave enters a denser medium, what happens to its speed and direction of bending?
When a wave enters a denser medium, what happens to its speed and direction of bending?
If a wave enters a less dense medium, how does its speed change and in what direction does it bend?
If a wave enters a less dense medium, how does its speed change and in what direction does it bend?
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Which property of a wave remains constant when it undergoes refraction?
Which property of a wave remains constant when it undergoes refraction?
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What changes when wavefronts are either bunched together or spaced apart?
What changes when wavefronts are either bunched together or spaced apart?
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When light reflects at a plane mirror, what phenomenon is observed?
When light reflects at a plane mirror, what phenomenon is observed?
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In a ray diagram, what is the angle between the incident ray and the normal called?
In a ray diagram, what is the angle between the incident ray and the normal called?
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In which scenario would the angle of incidence be greater than the angle of refraction?
In which scenario would the angle of incidence be greater than the angle of refraction?
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What does Snell's law relate to in optics?
What does Snell's law relate to in optics?
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At what condition does total internal reflection occur?
At what condition does total internal reflection occur?
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What happens when light enters a less optically dense medium?
What happens when light enters a less optically dense medium?
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What must be the condition for total internal reflection to occur?
What must be the condition for total internal reflection to occur?
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How can the critical angle 'c' be related to the refractive index 'n'?
How can the critical angle 'c' be related to the refractive index 'n'?
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In optical fibers, how is information transferred using light?
In optical fibers, how is information transferred using light?
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What type of waves are sound waves?
What type of waves are sound waves?
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How can the speed of sound in air be measured?
How can the speed of sound in air be measured?
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What does the greater amplitude of a sound wave indicate?
What does the greater amplitude of a sound wave indicate?
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Study Notes
Wave Properties
- Waves can be bunched together or spaced apart, causing a change in pitch, as seen in the example of an ambulance siren.
Reflection
- Waves can be reflected when traveling from a medium of low optical density to one of higher optical density.
- The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
- Frequency, wavelength, and speed remain unchanged during reflection.
Refraction
- Waves can be refracted, which changes their speed, when entering a new medium.
- When entering a denser medium, the wave slows down and bends towards the normal.
- When entering a less dense medium, the wave speeds up and bends away from the normal.
- In all cases, the frequency remains the same, but the wavelength changes, resulting in a change in velocity.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
- The electromagnetic spectrum includes different types of radiation, listed in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing frequency.
- The main groups of the electromagnetic spectrum include:
- Visible light (ROYGBIV)
- Other types of electromagnetic radiation (e.g. X-rays, gamma rays)
- Electromagnetic waves travel at the same high speed in a vacuum and approximately the same speed in air.
Light
- Light waves are transverse waves that can be reflected and refracted.
- Reflection of light can be shown using a ray diagram.
- Refraction of light occurs when it passes through a glass slab at an angle to its normal.
- Snell's law relates the angle of incidence and angle of refraction to the refractive index of a medium.
Total Internal Reflection
- Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle.
- At the critical angle, light will travel along the boundary between two media.
- Total internal reflection requires the light to travel from a more optically dense medium to a less optically dense medium.
Optical Fibres
- Optical fibres use total internal reflection to transfer information by light, even when bent.
- Optical fibres are used in medicine (endoscopes) and communications (high-speed data transfer).
Sound Waves
- Sound waves are longitudinal waves that can be reflected and refracted.
- The range of audible frequencies for a healthy human ear is 20 Hz to 20000 Hz.
- The speed of sound in air can be measured using the formula speed = distance/time.
- An oscilloscope connected to a microphone can display a sound wave and find its frequency and amplitude.
- The amplitude of a sound wave determines its loudness, and the frequency determines its pitch.
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Description
Test your knowledge on light waves being transverse waves, reflection, refraction, ray diagrams, and properties of sound waves. Explore how light reflects in plane mirrors and refracts when passing through different mediums.
