There are many different types of waves. (a) Waves on the surface of water are transverse waves. Sound waves are longitudinal waves. Describe the difference between transverse waves and longitudinal waves. (2) (b) Figure 1 shows a ripple tank. This is used to study the behaviour of water waves.

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There are many different types of waves - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1

Question 1

There are many different types of waves. (a) Waves on the surface of water are transverse waves. Sound waves are longitudinal waves. Describe the difference betwe... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:There are many different types of waves - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1

Step 1

Describe the difference between transverse waves and longitudinal waves.

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Answer

Transverse waves are characterized by oscillations that occur perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. For example, in water waves, the water particles move up and down while the wave travels horizontally.

In contrast, longitudinal waves have oscillations that occur in the same direction as the direction of wave travel. Sound waves, for instance, involve particles vibrating back and forth along the direction the wave is moving.

Step 2

1(b)(i) Take time 7 for waves to pass a fixed point.

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Answer

To determine the frequency of the waves, you should measure the time taken for a certain number of waves to pass a fixed point, say 'T'. The frequency can then be calculated using the formula:

$ext{frequency} = \frac{\text{number of waves}}{\text{time taken}}$

This relationship aids in understanding how often waves occur over time.

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