EM Waves & Matter Flashcards

All 5 cards in this deck

What four things may a substance do to electromagnetic waves reaching it?

Absorb, transmit, refract or reflect them.

Does a substance treat all electromagnetic waves in the same way?

No. How much it absorbs, transmits, refracts or reflects varies with the wavelength of the wave.

What causes an electromagnetic wave to refract at a boundary?

The wave travels at a different velocity in the two substances.

Which property of a light wave changes when it is refracted at a boundary?

Its velocity (and therefore its wavelength).

True or false? The frequency of a light wave changes when it is refracted.

False. Frequency stays the same; the velocity and wavelength change.