Unit 5 Vocab

Amplitude – The maximum displacement of a wave from its equilibrium position, representing the wave's energy or intensity.

Electromagnetic Wave – A wave that consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which propagate through space without requiring a medium (e.g., light, radio waves).

Frequency – The number of wave cycles that pass a given point per second, measured in Hertz (Hz).

Longitudinal Wave – A wave in which the particles of the medium move parallel to the direction of wave propagation (e.g., sound waves).

Medium – The substance (solid, liquid, or gas) through which a wave travels.

Simple Harmonic Motion – A type of periodic motion in which an object oscillates back and forth through an equilibrium position due to a restoring force proportional to its displacement (e.g., a pendulum).

Transverse Wave – A wave in which the particles of the medium move perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation (e.g., water waves, electromagnetic waves).

Wave – A disturbance that transfers energy through space or a medium, typically classified as mechanical (requiring a medium) or electromagnetic (not requiring a medium).

Wave Energy Propagation – The process by which wave energy moves through a medium or space, transferring energy from one location to another.

Wavelength – The distance between two consecutive points in phase on a wave (such as crest to crest or trough to trough).

Compression – The region in a longitudinal wave where particles are closest together (e.g., the compressed regions of a sound wave).

Crest – The highest point of a transverse wave.

Equilibrium – The resting position of a system or medium when no wave disturbance is present.

Hertz (Hz) – The unit of frequency, measuring the number of wave cycles per second.

Oscillation – A repetitive movement around an equilibrium position, often used to describe wave motion.

Pendulum – A mass suspended from a fixed point that swings back and forth under the influence of gravity, often exhibiting simple harmonic motion.

Period – The time it takes for one complete wave cycle to pass a given point, measured in seconds.

Propagation – The movement or transmission of a wave through a medium or space.

Rarefaction – The region in a longitudinal wave where particles are spread apart (the opposite of compression).

Trough – The lowest point of a transverse wave.

Diffraction – The bending and spreading of waves around obstacles or through openings.

Doppler Effect – The apparent change in frequency of a wave due to the motion of the source or observer (e.g., a siren sounding higher in pitch as it approaches and lower as it moves away).

Focal Point – The point at which parallel waves or light rays converge after reflection or refraction.

Malus's Law – A law in optics stating that the intensity of polarized light passing through a polarizer is proportional to the square of the cosine of the angle between the light’s polarization direction and the polarizer's axis.

Polarization – The orientation of the oscillations in a transverse wave, typically referring to the direction of electric field oscillations in light waves.

Refraction – The bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another due to a change in speed.

Standing Wave – A wave pattern that results from the interference of two waves traveling in opposite directions, creating nodes (no movement) and antinodes (maximum movement).

Superposition – The principle that when two or more waves overlap, the resulting wave displacement is the sum of the individual wave displacements.