Intro To Waves Quiz

The two types of waves are transverse and longitudinal.

The distance between two peaks on a transverse wave is called the wavelength. Wavelength is a fundamental property of waves and is typically represented by the Greek letter lambda (λ). It is measured as the distance between corresponding points on two consecutive waves, such as the distance between two adjacent crests or troughs. Wavelength determines the characteristics of a wave, such as its energy and frequency. It is inversely proportional to the frequency of the wave, meaning that longer wavelengths correspond to lower frequencies and vice versa.

In a longitudinal wave, the particles move back and forth in the same direction that the wave is moving. This means the direction of movement of the particles is parallel to the direction of movement of the wave.

In all waves, the particles (matter) vibrate around a fixed position, but energy is transferred along the wave.

Only sound is a longitudinal wave from the above options, the rest of the waves are transverse. In sound the air particles move backwards and forwards in the same direction as the direction the sound is moving.

The best explanation is how many waves pass a point every second OR how many waves are generated every second. For example, a wave with frequency of 500 Hz means 500 waves are generated every second.

This shows a longitudinal wave, since the vibrations are parallel to the direction of travel of the wave.

Compression and rarefaction only apply to longitudinal waves. Both transverse and longitudinal waves have wavelengths, but only transverse waves have peaks and troughs.

If the frequency increases, there are more waves generated/transmitted per second. This means the distance between each wave decreases.

In a transverse wave, the movement of particles is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the wave. This means, for example, if the wave is moving from left to right, the particles will be moving up and down.