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Figure 5 shows a tuning fork - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 3 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 3
Figure 5 shows a tuning fork. When the prongs of the tuning fork are struck, the prongs vibrate in the directions shown by the arrows on Figure 5. Describe how the... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Figure 5 shows a tuning fork - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 3 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe how the vibrating tuning fork causes a sound wave to travel through the air.
Answer
When the prongs of the tuning fork vibrate, they make the surrounding air particles oscillate. This oscillation creates regions of compression and rarefaction in the air, pushing air molecules in the same direction as the vibration. Because these vibrations are longitudinal waves, they cause energy to be transferred through the air, allowing the sound wave to travel.
Step 6
Explain, in terms of speed, why the light behaves like this.
Answer
Different wavelengths of light travel at different speeds when they enter a new medium. The colors in white light have varying wavelengths, which leads to a change in speed as they transition from air to glass. This difference in speeds causes the light to refract, bending at different angles and resulting in the separation of colors.