Waves and Sound

These flashcards cover key concepts, definitions, and phenomena related to waves and sound as detailed in the lecture notes.

Wave

A disturbance that propagates from one place to another.

Transverse Wave

A type of wave where the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of motion.

Longitudinal Wave

A type of wave where displacement is along the direction of wave motion.

Wavelength (λ)

The distance over which the wave repeats.

Period (T)

The time it takes for one wavelength to pass a given point.

Frequency (f)

The rate at which a point passes a given location.

Amplitude (A)

The maximum displacement from equilibrium.

In-Phase

Waves are in-phase if their crests and troughs line up.

Out of Phase

Waves are out of phase if the crest of one wave matches the trough of another.

Node

Points on a standing wave that never move.

Antinode

Points on a standing wave that have maximum movement.

Harmonic

Higher frequencies produced on a fixed string, with the fundamental frequency being the lowest.

Superposition

The combination of waves traveling through the same medium, resulting in a larger or smaller pulse.

Interference

The result of combining two or more waves; constructive interference results in a larger amplitude and destructive interference results in a smaller amplitude.

Sound Intensity

The amount of energy that passes through a given area in a given time.

Doppler Effect

The change in pitch of a sound when the source and observer are moving with respect to each other.

Ultrasonic

Sound waves with frequencies greater than 20,000 Hz.

Infrasonic

Sound waves with frequencies less than 20 Hz.

Decibel (dB)

A logarithmic unit used to measure sound intensity.