Waves and Energy Vocabulary

A comprehensive vocabulary set covering the fundamental concepts of wave physics and sound properties from the lecture notes.

Wave

A transfer of energy

Energy

The ability to do work or cause change

Vibration

Back-and-forth movement

Medium

Material waves travel through

Vacuum

Space with no matter

Amplitude

Height of a wave related to energy

Frequency

Numbers of waves each second

Wavelength

Distance between two matching points on a wave

Crest

Highest point of a wave

Trough

Lowest point of a wave

Compression

Crowded particles in a longitudinal wave

Rarefaction

Spread-out particles in a longitudinal wave

Transverse waves

Wave where vibrations more perpendicular to direction

Longitudinal waves

Wave where vibrations more parallel to direction

Sound wave

Longitudinal waves caused by vibrations

Electromagnetic wave

Wave that can travel through space

Pitch

How high or low a sound is

Volume

Loudness of sound

Reflection

Bouncing of waves

Refraction

Bending of waves when changing medium

Absorption

Taking in energy instead of reflecting it

Visible spectrum

Colors human can see