Waves

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Sample objectives

What this unit covers

• Waves in air, fluids and solids: Distinguish the direction of vibration from the direction of wave travel.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: Explain why electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: Define amplitude as the maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its undisturbed position.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: State that frequency is measured in hertz.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: Describe how refraction depends on a change in wave speed.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: Distinguish reflection from refraction in wave-boundary contexts.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: Explain why sound cannot travel through a vacuum.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: Describe sound waves in air as longitudinal waves.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: (Physics only) Apply wave speed reasoning to detection and exploration contexts.
• Waves in air, fluids and solids: (Physics only) Explain that P-waves can travel through solids and liquids.
• Electromagnetic waves: State that electromagnetic waves are transverse waves.
• Electromagnetic waves: Recall the order of the electromagnetic spectrum from gamma rays to radio waves.
• Electromagnetic waves: Describe how electromagnetic waves can be reflected at surfaces.
• Electromagnetic waves: Explain that electromagnetic waves travel at different speeds in different media.
• Electromagnetic waves: Compare benefits and risks of medical uses of ionising radiation.
• Electromagnetic waves: Describe the use of visible light for vision, photography and optical communication.
• Electromagnetic waves: (Physics only) Define the focal length of a lens.
• Electromagnetic waves: (Physics only) Describe a convex lens as a converging lens.
• Electromagnetic waves: (Physics only) Explain the colour of an opaque object in terms of reflected and absorbed light.
• Electromagnetic waves: (Physics only) Use absorption, reflection and transmission to explain colour observations.
• Electromagnetic waves: (Physics only) Describe thermal radiation as electromagnetic radiation emitted by all bodies.
• Electromagnetic waves: (Physics only) Explain that the hotter an object is, the more infrared radiation it emits in a given time.