Water waves are transverse waves - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 3 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 3
Water waves are transverse waves.
(i) Give one other example of a transverse wave.
(ii) Give one example of a longitudinal wave.
(d) An earthquake causes a se... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Water waves are transverse waves - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 3 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Give one other example of a transverse wave.
96%
114 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
An example of a transverse wave is a light wave. Light waves oscillate perpendicular to the direction of wave travel.
Step 2
Give one example of a longitudinal wave.
99%
104 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
An example of a longitudinal wave is a sound wave. Sound waves consist of compressions and rarefactions that travel through a medium.
Step 3
Calculate the speed of the wave.
96%
101 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
To calculate the speed of the wave, we use the equation:
ext{wave speed} = rac{ ext{distance}}{ ext{time}}
Here, the distance is 26400 m and the time is 2 minutes, which we convert to seconds: