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English: Propagation of a plane compression wave (impulse); made with Scilab and Jasc Animation Shop 2.02 Deutsch: Vorstellung einer Longitudinalwelle (impuls); gemacht mit Scilab und Jasc Animation Shop 2.02 Français : Propagation d’une onde de compression plane (impulsion) ; créé avec Scilab et Jasc Animation Shop 2.02 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Understand and use the terms amplitude, frequency, period, speed and wavelength
- Identify the different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and describe some of their applications.
- Use the wave equation v = fλ.
- Recall that a sound wave is a longitudinal wave which can be described in terms of the displacement of molecules.
- Use graphs to represent transverse and longitudinal waves, including standing waves.
- Explain and use the concepts of wavefront, coherence, path difference, superposition and phase.
- Recognize and use the relationship between phase difference and path difference.
- Explain what is meant by a standing (stationary) wave, investigate how such wave is formed, and identify nodes and antinodes.
- Recognize and use the expression for refractive index 1μ2 = sin i/sin r = v1/v2 determine refractive index for a material in the laboratory, and predict whether total internal reflection will occur at an interface using critical angle.
- Investigate and explain how to measure refractive index.
- Investigate and explain how to measure the rotation of the plane of polarization.
- Investigate and recall that waves can be diffracted and that substantial diffraction occurs when the size of the gap or obstacle is similar to the wavelength of the wave.
- Explain how diffraction experiments provide evidence for the wave nature of elections.
- Discuss how scientific ideas may change over time, for example, our ideas on the particle/wave nature of electrons.
- Recall that, in general, waves are transmitted and reflected at an interface between media.
- Explain how different media affect the transmission/reflection of waves travelling from one medium to another.
- Explore and explain how a pulse-echo technique can provide details of the position and/or speed of an object and describe applications that use this technique.
- Explain qualitatively how the movement of a source of sound or light relative to an observer/detector gives rise to a shift in frequency (Doppler Effect) and explore applications that use this effect.
- Explain how the amount of detail in a scan may be limited by the wavelength of the radiations or by the duration of the pulses.
- Discuss the social and ethical issues that need to be considered, e.g., when developing and trailing new medical techniques on patients or when funding a space mission.
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