Wave Behavior Flashcard

Front

What is interference in wave behavior?

Back

Interference is the overlapping of waves, which can result in a new wave pattern.

Front

What causes a pencil to appear broken when placed in water?

Back

Light bends when it passes through water, causing the pencil to appear broken.

Front

What is diffraction in wave behavior?

Back

Diffraction is the spreading of a wave around an obstacle.

Front

What property of waves causes light to form a rainbow when passing through a prism?

Back

Refraction causes light to bend and separate into different colors, forming a rainbow.

Front

What is refraction?

Back

Refraction is the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium.

Front

What is reflection in wave behavior?

Back

Reflection is the bouncing of a wave off an object or boundary.

Front

How does the speed of light change when it enters a denser medium?

Back

The speed of light decreases when it enters a denser medium, causing refraction.

Front

What is the principle of superposition in wave interference?

Back

The principle of superposition states that when two or more waves overlap, the resulting wave is the sum of the individual waves.

Front

What is constructive interference?

Back

Constructive interference occurs when two waves meet in phase, resulting in a wave of greater amplitude.

Front

What is destructive interference?

Back

Destructive interference occurs when two waves meet out of phase, resulting in a wave of lesser amplitude.