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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 cause the air around them to oscillate. This movement creates areas of compression and rarefaction in the air, which propagates as a longitudinal sound wave. The vibrations of the prongs move in the same direction as the sound wave travels.
Step 6
Explain, in terms of speed, why the light behaves like this.
Answer
The colours have different wavelengths, and different wavelengths/colors travel at different speeds. As white light passes from air into glass, each colour refracts by different amounts due to its wavelength, resulting in the separation of the colours into the spectrum.