Waves, Light, and Sound Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts of wave energy transfer, light wave properties, reflection, refraction, the electromagnetic spectrum, and sound wave transmission.

Wave

A phenomenon that transfers energy from one place to another without carrying matter.

Light Wave

A form of electromagnetic wave that travels through space without requiring a medium.

Sound Wave

A mechanical wave produced by vibrating objects that transfers energy through a medium (solid, liquid, or gas).

Speed of Light

The speed at which light travels, equal to $299,792,458\,m/s$ (about $300,000\,km/s$).

Vacuum

Empty space containing no matter, through which light can travel without needing a medium.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

The full range of electromagnetic waves ordered by wavelength and energy: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.

Dispersion

The separation of white light into its individual colors, such as when light passes through a prism.

Reflection of Light

The process that occurs when light bounces off a surface.

Incident Ray

The ray of light that strikes or hits a surface.

Reflected Ray

The ray of light that bounces off a surface after hitting it.

Normal Line

An imaginary line perpendicular to the surface at the point where light hits.

Angle of Incidence ($i$)

The angle formed between the incident ray and the normal line, which is equal to the angle of reflection ($r$).

Angle of Reflection ($r$)

The angle formed between the reflected ray and the normal line, which is equal to the angle of incidence ($i$).

Refraction of Light

The bending of light as it passes from one material into another due to traveling at different speeds in different materials.

Denser Medium

A material in which light travels slower; when light enters a denser medium from a rarer medium, it bends TOWARD the normal line.

Rarer Medium

A material in which light travels faster compared to a denser material (such as air compared to water).

Mechanical Wave

A wave type, such as a sound wave, that requires a physical medium (solid, liquid, or gas) to propagate energy.

Compression

The high-density region in a sound wave where particles of the medium are pushed close together.

Rarefaction

The low-density region in a sound wave where particles of the medium are spread apart.

Outer Space Sound Propagation

Sound cannot travel in outer space because space has very few particles, providing no medium for sound to pass through.