NLCS Dubai

Physics Revision Booklet

Grade 8 – Waves
 Rate your understanding of each part of the topic (1 star = nothing, 5 stars = mastery)

Topic At the end of the unit:

Wave Properties
Describe how a wave transfer energy but not matter. * * * * *
Classify types of waves as either transverse or longitudinal. * * * * *
Identify the trough and crest in a transverse wave and areas of
compression and rarefaction in a longitudinal wave. * * * * *
Define wavelength, amplitude, frequency, period, and wavespeed. * * * * *
Wave Equation
Use v = d/t to determine wavespeed. * * * * *
Use the wave equation (v = f) to carry out straightforward calculations. * * * * *
Use f = 1/T to convert between frequency and period, and vice versa. * * * * *
Electromagnetic Waves
State that ALL EM waves are transverse waves. * * * * *
State that ALL EM waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum. * * * * *
Describe EM waves as being able to propagate through a vacuum. * * * * *
Describe each region of EM spectrum in terms of frequency, wavelength
and energy. * * * * *
Contrast and compare the regions of the EM spectrum in terms of
common applications and ionisation ability. * * * * *
Contrast and compare electromagnetic and sound waves. * * * * *
Sound, Echoes and Ultrasound
State that sound is a longitudinal wave. * * * * *
Describe sound as a mechanical wave that needs particles to propagate. * * * * *
Describe how frequency and amplitude relate to “pitch” and “loudness” * * * * *
Explain how the speed of sound is affected by the density of the medium. * * * * *
Explain how echoes occur and what affects the loudness of an echo. * * * * *
Use v = d/t and v = f to carry out calculations involving echoes. * * * * *
Describe ultrasound as being a sound wave with a frequency high than
the audible human range (> 20,000 Hz). * * * * *
Describe common applications of ultrasound, including in medicine. * * * * *
Wave Behaviour (not assessed in EOY exam)
State the Law of Reflection and apply to plane and curved mirrors. * * * * *
Describe how light refracts when entering a different medium. * * * * *
Draw ray diagrams for plane mirrors, curved mirrors and lenses. * * * * *
Explain how index of refraction affects the refraction of light. * * * * *
Describe and explain the dispersion of white light. * * * * *
State the conditions for Total Internal Reflection. * * * * *
Define the critical angle for a medium. * * * * *
Describe common applications of Total Internal Reflection. * * * * *
Describe how waves diffract around obstacles and through gaps. * * * * *
Contrast and compare how waves diffract around different sized
obstacles and gaps. * * * * *
Waves

Waves transfer energy from one point to another but do not transfer matter. Matter vibrates
about a point and is not transferred.

There are two main types of waves: transverse and longitudinal.

• In a longitudinal wave, the vibrations are parallel to the direction of the wave’s (energy)
travel.
• Compression is squashing, and rarefraction is stretching.
• In a transverse wave, the vibrations are at right angles (perpendicular) to the direction of
the wave’s (energy) travel.

Wave Parameters

Parameter Symbol Unit Definition

Amplitude A m Maximum size of vibration

Wavelength  m The distance from one point on the wave to
the next identical point.
Frequency f Hz Number of wavelengths passing per second
Period T s Time for one wavelength to pass
Speed v m/s or ms-1 Rate at which the wave is travelling
The Wave Equation

Electromagnetic Waves

• Caused by electric and magnetic fields interacting and vibrating.

• Are ALL transverse waves.
• Electromagnetic waves do not use vibrating particles and can travel though a vacuum.
• ALL electromagnetic waves travels at 3 x 108 ms-1 (the speed of “light”) in a vacuum (almost
this in air).

Sound and Echoes

• Caused by the vibration of particles.

• Are longitudinal waves.
• Need a medium (ie particles) and cannot travel though a vacuum.
• Travel at about 340 ms-1 in air (depending on the density of the medium)

Loudness is related to the amplitude of a sound wave. A louder sound has a larger amplitude.
A quieter sound has a smaller amplitude.

Pitch is related to the frequency of a sound wave. A low pitch sound has a low frequency (long
wavelength). A high pitch sound has a high frequency (short wavelength).
Echoes are caused by the reflection of waves on smooth, hard surfaces. Some energy is lost
with each echo so echoes are quieter than the original sound.

When carrying calculations with echoes, make sure you allow for twice the distance (there and
back).

Ultrasound is a sound wave with frequency higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing.
The lower limit of ultrasound is approximately 20 kHz (20,000 Hz).

• Echolocation – animals such as bats, dolphins and whales are common examples.
• Sonography – a common application is in pre-natal examinations.
• Proximity Sensor – commonly used in manufacturing.

Medical Physics

Ultrasound – sound waves, longitudinal, need a medium, non-ionising.

Ultrasound images are made by reflection of ultrasound waves. Can form images of soft
tissues, also real time and moving images. Commonly used for pre-natal scans. Non-invasive
and no danger from long term exposure ie cancer. Does require more specialized operator.

X-ray – electromagnetic waves, transverse, do not need a medium, ionizing.

X-rays images are made by x-rays passing through soft tissue onto an imaging plate and not
hard materials such as bone and teeth. Can form “shadow” images of bones and teeth.
Common used for diagnosing broken bones, dentistry etc. Non-invasive. Because it is
ionizing radiation, can be danger of tumours (cancer) from long term exposure and only forms
static images.
Keywords

Word Meaning
vibration Oscillation (regular motion) about a point.
propagates Travels from one point to another.
transverse Vibration is perpendicular to direction of wave
travel.
longitudinal Vibration is parallel to direction of wave travel.
trough Lowest point of a transverse wave.
crest Highest point of a transverse wave.
equilibrium Mid-point of a wave.
amplitude Maximum displacement of a wave from
equilibrium.
wavelength Distance from one point on a wave to the
same point on the next wave.
period The time taken for a wave to pass a fixed
point.
frequency The number of waves that pass a fixed point
in one second.
wavespeed The rate at which a wave travels through a
medium.

Word Meaning
electromagnetic Electric and magnetic fields interacting.
vacuum Empty space, an absence of matter.
radio waves Longest wavelengths of the EM spectrum,
used for communication
microwaves Longer wavelengths of the EM spectrum,
commonly used for mobile phone
communication and microwave ovent
infrared Wavelengths longer than visible light, used for
thermal imaging, heat radiation, short-range
communication
visible light Wavelengths that the human eye is sensitive
to, perceived as a range of colours
(ROYGBIV)
ultraviolet Wavelengths shorter than visible light, with the
shortest wavelengths being ionizing and can
cause cancer (skin cancer).
x-rays Very short wavelengths, produced by a
machine and commonly used to image hard
materials such as bones and teeth, security
and cancer treatment. Ionizing radiation.
gamma rays Shortest wavelengths, emitted by radioactive
nuclei, commonly used for diagnostics,
sterilization and cancer treatment. Ionizing
radiation.
ionising Can damage and kill cells, and cause tumours
 Word Meaning
if it damages the DNA in a cell nucleus.
non-ionising Is not ionizing radiation.

Word Meaning
mechanical A wave that propagates using the vibration of
particles.
pitch Relates to the frequency of a sound wave.
loudness Relates to the amplitude of a sound wave.
density Mass per unit volume.
echoes Reflections of sound waves.
echolocation Process used to locate objects by reflecting
sound waves off surfaces.
ultrasound Sound waves with a frequency greater than
20,000 Hz.

Word Meaning
reflection When a wave “bounces” off the boundary
between two media.
refraction When a wave “bends” when travelling from
one medium to another.
index of refraction A measure of the amount that a wave slows
down when entering a medium.
dispersion When white light splits into the spectrum of
colours.
spectrum The ROYGBIV colour range of visible light.
total internal Complete reflection of light within a medium.
reflection
critical angle Angle of incidence where light is refracted at
90 degrees.
diffraction The spreading out of a wavefront when
passing around an obstacle or through a gap.

Waves – Multichoice Quiz

Wave Properties

1. What do waves transfer?

a) Particles
b) Energy
c) Light
d) Sound
2. Select an example of a transverse wave.
a) Earthquake p-wave
b) Sound
c) X-rays
d) Pressure waves

3. Which is the correct description of a longitudinal wave?

a) The particles vibrate parallel to the direction of travel.
b) The particles vibrate in the same direction as the direction of travel.
c) The particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction of travel.
d) A longitudinal wave does not propagate via particle vibration.

4. Where is the midpoint of a rarefaction on the diagram?

5. "The time taken for one wave to pass a fixed point" is the definition for what?
a) Frequency
b) Period
c) Wavelength
d) Wavespeed

The Wave Equation

6. Calculate the speed of a wave with a wavelength of 3 metres and a frequency of 15 Hz.
a) 45 ms-1
b) 5 ms-1
c) 18 ms-1
d) 0.2 ms-1
7. What is the wavelength of a wave travelling at 10 ms-1 that has a frequency of 5 Hz?
a) 50 m
b) 2 m
c) 15 m
d) 0.5 m

8. What is the frequency of a red light that has a wavelength of 7.0 x 10 -7 m and travels at 3 x
108 m/s?
a) 4.3 x 1014 Hz
b) 3.3 x 1012 Hz
c) 210 Hz
d) 2.3 x 10-11 Hz

9. What is the frequency of a wave that has a period of 5 seconds?

a) 10 Hz
b) 5 Hz
c) 1 Hz
d) 0.2 Hz

Electromagnetic Waves

10. In a vacuum, which electromagnetic wave travels the fastest?

a) Radiowaves
b) Visible Waves
c) Gamma Rays
d) They all travel at the same speed.

11. Which is the correct order of the Electromagnetic Spectrum, from lowest frequency to
highest frequency?
a) Microwave, Radio, IR, Visible, Xrays, UV, Gamma Rays
b) Gamma Rays , Xrays, IR, Visible, UV, Microwave, Radio
c) Radio, Microwave, IR, Visible, UV, Xrays, Gamma Rays
d) IR, Visible, UV, Radio, Microwave, Xrays, Gamma Rays

12. What is the range of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum?

a) 1018 to 102 m
b) 10-18 to 10-2 m
c) 1018 to 10-2 m
d) 10-18 to 102 m

13. In the visible part of the spectrum, red light has the __________ wavelength and blue light
has the __________ wavelength.
a) shortest, longest
b) longest, shortest
c) shortest, shortest
d) longest, longest
14. Which electromagnetic waves are used for radar and mobile phone communication?
a) Infrared
b) Microwaves
c) Radiowaves
d) Xrays

15. Which electromagnetic wave is responsible for the production of vitamin D in the body?
a) Microwaves
b) Visible Light
c) Ultraviolet
d) X-rays

16. The most dangerous electromagnetic wave that can ionize atoms and damage DNA.
a) X-rays
b) Radiowaves
c) Ultraviolet
d) Gamma Rays

Sound and Ultrasound

17. In which state of matter does sound travel the fastest in?
a) Gas
b) Liquid
c) Solid
d) It is the same in all states.

18. Which image represents a sound wave that is loud with a low pitch?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D

19. A person claps their hands when standing a distance away from a large building, and hears
the echo of their clap 0.5 seconds afterwards. How far away is the building from the
person? The speed of sound is 340 ms-1.
a) 170 m
b) 680 m
c) 85 m
d) 340 m
20. What is the range of normal human hearing?
a) Up to 10 000 Hz
b) Between 10 000 Hz and 20 000 Hz
c) Between 20 and 20 000 Hz
d) Above 20 000 Hz

21. Which is not a use of ultrasound?

a) Cooking food
b) Prenatal scanning
c) Quality control in industry
d) Cleaning delicate machinery

22. Ultrasound waves are considered safer than X-rays. Which of the following is false?
a) X-rays can ionise atoms
b) X-rays carry the risk of cancer
c) X-rays are low frequency
d) X-rays can pass through soft body tissues

Wave Phenomenon (Not in EOY Exam)

23. What is the angle of reflection?

a) 90 degrees
b) 65 degrees
c) 50 degrees
d) 25 degrees

24. What is the Physics phenomenon demonstrated in this photo?

a) Reflection
b) Refraction
c) Diffraction
d) Dispersion
25. Which diagram is correct?
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D

26. What does it mean if a medium has a high refractive index?

a) The medium is very reflective.
b) The medium is opaque.
c) The medium does not slow down light very much.
d) The medium slows down light a lot.

27. What are the TWO conditions for Total Internal Reflection to occur?

a) The light must be travelling from a less optically dense to

more optically dense medium, AND must have an
incident angle less than the critical angle.
b) The light must be travelling from a more optically dense
to less optically dense medium, AND must have an
incident angle greater than the critical angle.
c) The light must be travelling from a less optically dense to
more optically dense medium, AND must have an
incident angle greater than the critical angle.
d) The light must be travelling from a more optically dense
to less optically dense medium, AND must have an
incident angle less than the critical angle.

28. When wave diffract, which wave parameter remains constant?

a) Wavespeed
b) Frequency
c) Wavelength
d) They all remain constant

29. Which of the following diffract the MOST?

a) Sound, Treble and AM Radiowaves
b) Sound, Bass and AM Radiowaves
c) Light, Bass and AM Radiowaves
d) Light, Treble and FM Radiowaves
30. The amount of diffraction (or spreading out of a wavefront) depends on what?

a) The size of the gap or obstacle compared to the wavelength.

b) The size of the gap or obstacle compared to the amplitude.
c) Only the size of the gap or obstacle.
d) Only the speed of the wave.

ANSWERS

1 B 11 C 21 A
2 C 12 D 22 C
3 A 13 B 23 D
4 C 14 B 24 B
5 B 15 C 25 B
6 A 16 D 26 D
7 B 17 C 27 B
8 A 18 B 28 D
9 D 19 C 29 B
10 D 20 C 30 A