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GCSE Physics Flash Card Questions

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P12 Wave properties

P12.1 The nature of waves

Question	Answer
What do waves transfer?	energy
Name one use of waves in the modern world.	to transfer information
Name two types of waves	mechanical and electromagnetic waves
What is a mechanical wave?	the vibrations of mechanical waves require a medium (a substance)
Give an example of a mechanical wave.	sound waves, water waves, seismic waves
What is an electromagnetic waves?	waves made of vibrating electric and magnetic fields
Give three examples of electromagnetic waves.	infrared, x-rays, ultraviolet
What is the speed of an electromagnetic wave?	300 000 km/s
Name the key difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.	mechanical waves need a medium to travel while electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to travel so can travel through a vacuum
What two types of waves can mechanical waves be divided into?	transverse and longitudinal
What is a transverse wave?	the particles of the wave oscillate (or vibrate) at 90 degrees to the direction of travel of the wave
What is a longitudinal wave?	the particles vibrate (or oscillate) in the same plane as the direction of travel of the wave
Are mechanical waves transverse or longitudinal?	they can be either
What type of wave is a water wave?	a mechanical transverse wave
When a water wave travels through water, what happens to the water?	it moves up and down when the wave travels through it and returns to its original place once the wave has passed i.e. the wave travels and not the medium it travels through
What type of wave is a sound wave?	a mechanical longitudinal wave
What happens to the air when a tuning fork vibrates creating a sound wave?	the particles of the air vibrate backwards and forwards in the plane of the sound wave and return to their original position once the wave has passed i.e. the wave travels and not the medium it travels through
What type of wave travels through a slinky?	a mechanical longitudinal wave
What type of wave is visible light?	electromagnetic transverse waves

P12 Wave properties

P12.2 The properties of waves

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P12 Wave properties

P12.3 Reflection and refraction

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P12 Wave properties

P12.4 More about waves

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P12 Wave properties

P12.5 Sound waves (single science only)

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P12 Wave properties

P12.6 The uses of ultrasound (single science only)

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P12 Wave properties

P12.7 Seismic waves (single science only)

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