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The ripples on the surface of water are transverse waves.

Physics - Transverse Waves (AQA)

Discover how transverse waves move, measure wavelength and frequency, and explore why electromagnetic waves all travel at the same speed through empty space.

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Fascinating Fact:

All electromagnetic waves are transverse and travel through a vacuum at the speed of light.

In GCSE Science Physics, you learn how transverse waves vibrate at right angles to their direction of travel, how to measure wavelength and amplitude, and how these ideas link to electromagnetic waves.

Key Terms

Transverse wave: A wave where the oscillations are at right angles to the direction of energy transfer.
Wavelength: The distance between two matching points on a wave, such as crest to crest.
Amplitude: The maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its rest position.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a transverse wave in GCSE Physics?

In GCSE Physics, a transverse wave is one where the particles or fields vibrate at right angles to the direction of energy transfer, like waves on a rope.

How do you measure the wavelength of a transverse wave?

You measure wavelength by finding the distance between two identical points on the wave, such as crest to crest or trough to trough, usually in metres.

Which electromagnetic waves are transverse and how fast do they travel?

All electromagnetic waves, including light, radio, microwaves and X-rays, are transverse and in a vacuum they all travel at the speed of light, about 3×10⁸ m/s.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Which of the following statements about X-rays is correct?

X-rays cause electric and magnetic fields to vibrate at 90^o to the direction they are travelling

X-rays are longitudinal waves

X-rays are transverse waves only after being reflected

X-rays become transverse waves when they are refracted by certain crystals

They are part of the electromagnetic spectrum and are therefore transverse waves

2 .

The distance from any point on one wave to the same point on the next wave is called what?

The amplitude

The frequency

The modulation

The wavelength

It is usually shown as being from the top of one crest to the top of the next crest

3 .

What is the amplitude of a transverse wave?

The height of the wave from the centre line to the crest

The height of the wave from the centre line to the trough

The maximum displacement of a wave

What is measured using a voltmeter and ammeter

This question teaches you to read through all of the alternative options before choosing and to consider carefully what information the examiner really wants.

Some of you may have immediately chosen the first option as your answer. This would have been correct if the question asked 'how would you recognise the amplitude of a wave on a diagram?'. It does not actually say what the amplitude is. The same applies to the second answer. Also, since you cannot choose two options as being correct, either option 3 or option 4 must be the right one.

The displacement of a wave is the distance that a certain point on the wave has moved from its rest position. The amplitude is the maximum displacement, therefore option 3 must be the answer the examiner wants you to give.

4 .

Which of these statements about the frequency of a transverse wave is true?

The frequency of a transverse wave is related to wavelength by the wave equation

The frequency of a transverse wave is measured in Hertz (Hz)

The frequency of a transverse wave is the number of waves passing a given point in 1 second

All of the above

High frequency waves have short wavelengths and vice versa

5 .

As transverse seismic waves pass through the Earth, they must travel through several different layers. These layers have different densities. What happens to these waves when they reach a boundary between the layers?

They are blocked

They reflect and refract

They reflect only

They refract only

When any transverse wave passes from one medium into another that has a different density, some of the energy is reflected and some is refracted. How much of each depends on the angle. At the critical angle, all of the energy is reflected

6 .

When drawing a diagram to measure the angle of refraction, a student drew a broken (dashed) line at right angles to the boundary. What is the name of this line and which way would the wave refract?

Normal, towards the normal

Ordinary, away from the ordinary

Standard, towards the standard

Normal, you need more information

The missing information for this question is whether or not the wave was entering a more dense or less dense medium

7 .

Why do transverse waves refract when they enter a more dense medium?

They slow down

They speed up

They are deflected by the more dense particles

The normal attracts them

The opposite is true when they travel from more dense into less dense media

8 .

Under what conditions does refraction not take place?

When the wave has a long wavelength

If the wave is travelling at less than the speed of light

If the angle of incidence is 90^o

When the wave has already been refracted somewhere else

If a wave is travelling along the normal it will cross from one medium into another without being refracted

9 .

When a transverse wave passes through a gap that is about the same width as its wavelength, which of the following is not true?

It slows down

It diffracts

Its wavelength is not affected

It can produce an interference pattern on a screen

Diffraction is when a wave spreads out as it passes through a gap that is about the same as its wavelength

10 .

Which of the following answers places these waves of the electromagnetic spectrum in the correct order of increasing frequency?

1. Visible light
2. Radio waves
3. Microwaves
4. Ultra violet
5. Infrared

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2, 3, 5, 1, 4

5, 4, 2, 1, 3

3, 2, 4, 5, 1

You need to know the order of the electromagnetic spectrum. If you learn it thoroughly in one direction using one property (e.g. the order in increasing wavelength) you can work out any other orders that the questions might throw at you. For example, the order in increasing energy would be the reverse of the order of wavelength because the shorter wavelength electromagnetic radiation carries more energy

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Transverse and longitudinal waves - AQA

Author: Kev Woodward (PGCE, Science & Chemistry Teacher, Quiz Writer)