KNOWT WAVES FLASHCARDS

Wave

A repeating disturbance or movement that moves energy through matter OR space

Medium

the matter (solid, liquid, gas) that mechanical waves travel through

2 types of mechanical waves

Transverse and longitudinal

2 major categories of waves

mechanical (need a medium) and electromagnetic (do not need medium)

Transverse wave

energy in the medium moves back and forth at right angles to the direction the wave travels 

Longitudinal wave

also known as compressional wave.  The energy moves back and forth in the same direction that the wave travels. 

ELECROMAGNETIC waves

DO NOT need a medium to travel through in order to transfer energy.  They can travel through a vacuum (space). Examples are microwaves, x-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light

Crest

high point in transverse wave (above rest position)

Trough

Low point in transverse wave (Below rest position)

Wavelength of transverse wave

distance from one point of a wave to the nearest point just like it (from crest to crest or from trough to trough)

Frequency

The number of waves that pass a fixed point each second

Amplitude

Distance between a crest or a trough and the position of the medium at rest

If wavelength increases, what happens to the frequency?

The frequency decreases (The opposite is true too)

Compression

an area on the wave where the medium becomes more dense (squeezed tightly together)

Rarefaction

an area on the wave where the medium is less dense

Wavelength of compressional wave

distance from one point of a wave to the nearest point just like it (from compression to compression or from rarefaction to rarefaction).

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NOTE ABOUT AMPLITUDE!

in a compressional wave, the amplitude depends on the density of the medium in the compressions and rarefactions. The greater the amplitude, the more energy the wave carries.  If you increase the AMPLITUDE of a compressional wave, the VOLUME gets louder

Reflection

The process by which a wave hits an object and bounces off of it

Absorption

When a wave hits a material and it is not reflected back (instead it gets sucked in)

Transmission

“To go through”