Free VCE Year 11 Physics Flashcard Review
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How do EM waves differ from mechanical waves?
EM waves need no medium and all travel at c = 3.0 × 10⁸ m s⁻¹ in a vacuum; mechanical waves need a medium.
Define period and frequency and how they relate.
Period T is the time for one oscillation; frequency f is oscillations per second; f = 1/T.
When light enters glass from air, what happens to f, v and λ?
f unchanged (set by source); v decreases (set by medium); λ decreases.
List the EM spectrum from longest to shortest wavelength.
Radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma.
Which three regions make up most of the Sun's output?
Infrared (about half), visible (about 40%) and ultraviolet (under 10%).
State Snell's law.
n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂, with angles measured from the normal.
Relationship between refractive index and speed?
n = c/v, so n₁v₁ = n₂v₂.
Two conditions for total internal reflection?
Light travels from higher to lower n, and the incident angle exceeds the critical angle.
Why does an optical fibre's cladding have a lower n than the core?
So light in the core undergoes TIR at the core–cladding boundary and stays trapped.
Which colour refracts most in glass, and why?
Violet, because glass has a slightly higher refractive index for violet (it travels slower).
Three processes in a raindrop that make a rainbow?
Refraction with dispersion on entry, internal reflection at the back, refraction again on exit.
Visible light wavelength range?
About 400 nm (violet) to 700 nm (red).
Convert 25 °C to kelvin.
298 K (add 273).
What does temperature measure at the particle level?
The average translational kinetic energy of the particles.
What is internal energy?
The total kinetic energy plus potential energy of all particles in a body.
Why does temperature stay constant while ice melts?
The energy absorbed increases particle potential energy (loosening bonds), not kinetic energy.
Which heat transfer method needs no medium?
Radiation (electromagnetic waves).
Why can't convection occur in solids?
Particles in solids cannot flow, so no currents of moving material can form.
Formula for energy to change temperature?
Q = mcΔT
Formula for energy to change state?
Q = mL