AS Edexcel Physics unit 2

UNIT 2 - Waves
Shehan Rashmika Livera

Waves Mechanical waves Requires a medium. Generated by vibrated sources. The energy is transferred to the medium and transmitted by the particles. There are two types of mechanical waves: Longitudinal and Transverse Waves.

Longitudinal The direction of the wave is parallel to the vibration of the source. They have compressions and rare fractions. Experiment to observe the longitudinal wave Slinky. Examples of longitudinal waves Sound, Earthquakes

Transverse Waves The direction of the wave is perpendicular to the vibration. Can be polarized Examples Light, water wave, guitar strings.

Amplitude - Is the maximum displacement from the mean position of a particle. Period is the time taken for one complete oscillation. Frequency is the number of complete oscillations per second. Phase - is the position within a cycle that a particle occupies related to the onset of the cycle.

Electromagnetic waves Electromagnetic waves are created when charged particles are accelerated. Examples Radio waves Electromagnetic waves can also be created as a result of quantum jumps of electrons in atoms or from excited nuclei. The waves produced in this manner are emitted as photons. Photon is a discrete packet of energy.

Shehan Rashmika Livera

Waves

Wave equations

Reflections The law of reflection states that the angle between the incident ray and a normal drawn at the point of reflection is equal to the angle between the reflected ray and the normal in the plane of the reflection. Refraction A ray of light at an angle to the normal changes direction when it passes from one medium to another. This effect is due to the change in wave speed and is known as refraction.

The ratio of the speeds in called the refractive index between the media: Refractive index from medium 1 to 2 =

Snells law

The incident angle and the refracted angle.

Shehan Rashmika Livera

Waves Critical angle and total internal reflection The angle at which total internal reflection occurs is termed as the critical angle.

Polarisation Transverse waves with particles oscillating in one plane only are said to be plane polarised. Longitudinal waves do not polarise. Because it does not have perpendicular motion in its wave.

Applications Anti glare sunglasses. Doppler Effect- The change in frequency due to the relative motion of the source to the observer is known as Doppler Effect.

This is dependent on the ratio of the speed of the moving source. Is the change in frequency f is the frequency, v is the velocity and c is the speed of light in vacuum. Applications - Mostly used in medicine; a blood blockage due to a clot can be detected sending ultrasound wave, and a pulse in heart. Super-positions When the waves add together to give maximum amplitude, constructive superposition occurs; when zero amplitude, destructive superposition.

Coherent sources Have same frequency and maintain a constant phase relationship. Maximum wavelength path difference Whole number or zero: in phase and constructive super position. /2 number will occur to destructive superposition.

To have stable interference: the wave are the same type the source are coherent the waves have similar amplitude at the point of super position.

Shehan Rashmika Livera

Waves

Diffraction When a wave passes through a gap or partially obstructed by a barrier, the wavefront spreads out into the shadow region. Its called Diffraction. Has the maximum diffraction when the wavelength of wave is equal to the length of the slit(gap) Wavelength of light is 400-700nm. 400nm Red and 700nm Blue wavelength

Shehan Rashmika Livera

Waves

Shehan Rashmika Livera