MCAT optics, sound, and wave concepts explained conceptually, separate from the MCAT physics equations cloze deck.
35 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What is the frequency of a wave?
- The number of wave cycles that pass a given point per unit time.
- What is the wavelength of a wave?
- The distance between two consecutive corresponding points on a wave, such as crest to crest.
- What is the amplitude of a wave?
- The maximum displacement of the wave from its equilibrium (rest) position.
- What is the period of a wave?
- The time required for one complete wave cycle to pass a point.
- What defines a transverse wave?
- The medium oscillates perpendicular to the direction the wave travels.
- What defines a longitudinal wave?
- The medium oscillates parallel to the direction the wave travels, creating compressions and rarefactions.
- Is sound a transverse or a longitudinal wave?
- Longitudinal.
- Is light a transverse or a longitudinal wave?
- Transverse (it is an electromagnetic wave).
- Can electromagnetic waves travel through a vacuum?
- Yes, electromagnetic waves do not require a medium.
- Can sound waves travel through a vacuum?
- No, sound requires a physical medium to propagate.
- In which state of matter does sound travel fastest: gas, liquid, or solid?
- Solid.
- What does the law of reflection state?
- The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal.
- What is refraction?
- The bending of a wave as it passes between media with different propagation speeds.
- What does a higher index of refraction indicate about a medium?
- Light travels more slowly through that medium.
- When light enters a denser (slower) medium at an angle, which way does it bend relative to the normal?
- Toward the normal.