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Waves Vocabulary
Basic bout Waves
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Vibration | A repeated back-and-forth or up-and- down motion. |
Medium | The material through which a wave can travel. |
Waves | A rhythmic disturbance that transfers energy without carrying matter. |
Longitudinal waves | particles of matter in the medium vibrate by pushing together and moving apart parallel to the direction in which the wave travels. |
Compression | the place on the wave that particles are pushed together. |
Rarefaction | the place on the wave that particles are further apart. |
Transverse Waves | Waves in which the particles of matter in the medium vibrate by moving back and forth and are perpendicular to the direction the wave travels. |
Crest | The highest point in a transverse wave. |
Trough | The lowest point in a transverse wave. |
Amplitude | A measure of the distance between the resting point and a crest or trough. |
Wavelength | A measure of the distance from the crest on one wave to the crest on the very next wave. (or trough to trough) |
Frequency | A measure of how many waves pass a point in a certain amount of time. |
Speed | A measure of the distance a wave travels in an amount of time. |