Chapter 6: Waves and Sound

What is a Wave?

-A disturbance that travels from one place to another transporting energy, but not necessarily matter, along with it.

In what kind of wave do particles move up and down perpendicular to the direction of wave travel?

Transverse wave

What term describes the maximum displacement of a particle in a wave?

Amplitude

What is used to measure wavelength in a longitudinal wave?

The distance between two adjacent compressions AND the distance between two adjacent rarefactions.

What is the relationship between the period and the frequency of a wave?

They are the inverse of one another.

What do waves carry through matter or space?

Through energy

The highest point on a transverse wave

Crest

The lowest point on a transverse wave

Trough

A region of increased pressure in a longitudinal wave

Compression

A region of decreased pressure in a longitudinal wave

Rarefaction

The distance between any two successive parts of a wave

Wavelength

The units for frequency

Hertz (Hz)

The bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another

Refraction

Waves bouncing off of a surface

Reflection

What waves travel in the same direction as amplitude.

Longitudinal waves

The rate at which a repeating event occurs is called?

frequency

What is the maximum displacement of a wave from its position of rest is its?

amplitude

Which type of wave contains compressions and rarefactions?

Longitudinal

What is a medium

-It is the material through which a wave travels.

What are 3 types of mediums a mechanical wave can travel through?

-Solids, liquids, and gasses

Wavelength

-The distance from two corresponding (or the same) parts of a wave.

Frequency

-How many waves can pass a given point per second, measured in Hertz (Hz)

Refraction

The bending of a wave as it passes at an angle from one medium to another

Diffraction

The wave changes direction because it bends around an object