light vs sound waves

Longitudinal Wave

a wave that makes the particles in the material that carries the wave move back and forth along the direction that the wave travels

Compression

a region of a longitudinal wave where the particles in the medium are closest together

Rarefaction

a region of a longitudinal wave where the particles are farthest apart

Sound Wave

a longitudinal wave that can only travel through matter

Vibration

a rapid back and forth motion that can occur in solids, liquids, or gases

Amplitude

for a longitudinal wave, the maximum distance the particles in a medium move from their rest positions as the wave passes through the medium

Doppler Effect

the change of pitch when a sound source is moving in relation to an observer

Frequency

the number of wavelengths that pass by a point each second

Intensity

in a wave, the amount of energy that passes through a square meter of space in one

Pitch

the perception of how high or low a sound seems

Resonance

an increase in amplitude that occurs when an object vibrating at its natural frequency absorbs energy from a nearby object vibrating at the same frequency

Wavelength

the distance between a point on one wave and the nearest point just like it

Absorption

the transfer of energy by a wave to the medium through which it travels

Acoustics

the study of how sound interacts with structures

Echo

a reflected sound wave

Reflection

the bouncing of a wave off a surface

Reverberation

the collection of reflected sounds from the surfaces in a closed space

Electromagnetic Radiation

energy carried through space or matter by electromagnetic waves

Light

electromagnetic radiation that you can see

Lens

a transparent object with at least one curved side that causes light to change direction