Waves, Optics and Sound
under construction
The various syllabus statements cover very different quantities of material. I'm sorry there aren't any pictures yet. You need to read this page in conjunction with block 3 of the syllabus specification. xxx represents a page number in England, (3rd edition).
| 1 |
use the following units: degree (o),
hertz (Hz), metre (m), metre/second (m/s),
second (s) 162-191 |
| 2 |
describe longitudinal and transverse waves in ropes, springs and water where appropriate 163-164 |
| 3 |
state the meaning of amplitude, frequency, wavelength and
period of a wave 163-164 |
| 4 |
recall that waves transfer energy and information without
transferring matter
|
| 5 |
recall and use the relationship between the speed, frequency and wavelength of a wave: wave speed = frequency × wavelength v = f × λ 164 |
| 6 |
use the relationship between frequency and time period: frequency = 1/time period : frequency = 1/T 162-163 |
| 7 |
use the above relationships in different contexts including sound waves and electromagnetic waves 170-173, 177-179 |
| 8 |
understand that waves can be diffracted through gaps or when they pass an edge, and that the extent of diffraction depends on the wavelength and the physical dimension of the gap 168 |
| 9 |
understand that light is part of a continuous electromagnetic spectrum which includes radio, microwave, infra-red, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma ray radiations and that all these waves travel at the same speed in free space 177-179 |
| 10 |
recall the order of the electromagnetic spectrum in decreasing wavelength and increasing frequency, including the colours of the visible spectrum 177-179 |
| 11 |
recall some of the uses of electromagnetic radiations, including
infra-red: heaters and night vision equipment visible light: optical fibres and photography ultraviolet: fluorescent lamps X-rays: observing the internal structure of objects and materials and medical applications
|
| 12 |
recall the detrimental effects of excessive exposure of the human body to electromagnetic waves, including
infra-red : skin burns ultraviolet : damage to surface cells and blindness 162 |
| 13 |
recall that light waves are transverse waves which can be reflected, refracted and diffracted 234-235, 286 |
| 14 |
recall that the angle of incidence equals
the angle of reflection 202-203 |
| 15 |
construct ray diagrams to illustrate the formation of a virtual image in
a plane mirror 202-203 |
| 16 |
describe experiments to investigate the refraction of light, using rectangular blocks, semicircular blocks and triangular prisms 204-205 |
| 17 |
recall and use the relationship between refractive index, angle of incidence and angle of refraction n = sin i / sin r
|
| 18 |
describe an experiment to determine the refractive index of glass, using a glass block
|
| 19 |
describe the role of total internal reflection in transmitting information along optical fibres and in prisms 206-207 |
| 20 | recall
the meaning of critical angle c 206-207 |
| 21 |
recall and use the relationship between critical angle and refractive index n = 1 / sin c |
| 22 |
understand the difference between analogue and digital
signals 186-188 |
| 23 |
recall that sound waves are longitudinal waves which can be reflected, refracted and diffracted 168-171 |
| 24 |
recall that the frequency range for human hearing is 20
Hz – 20 000 Hz 172-173 |
| 25 |
describe how to measure the speed of sound in air by a simple direct
method 170 |
| 26 |
understand how an oscilloscope and microphone can be used to display a sound wave 172-173 |
| 27 |
use an oscilloscope to determine the frequency of a sound wave and appreciate that the pitch of a sound depends on the frequency of vibration 172-173 |
| 28 |
appreciate that the pitch of a sound depends on the frequency of vibration of the source 172-173 |
| 29 |
appreciate that the loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude of
vibration 172-173 |