click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Gabby Miller
Chapter17&18Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Mechanical Wave | a disturbance in matter that carries energy from one place to another |
Medium | the material through which a wave travels |
Crest | the highest point of the wave above the rest position |
Trough | the lowest point below the rest position |
Transverse Wave | a wave that causes the medium to vibrate at right angles to the direction in which the waves travel |
Compression | an area where the particles in a medium are spaced close together |
Rarefaction | an area in a medium where the particles are spread out |
Longitudinal Wave | a wave in which the vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction the wave travels |
Surface Wave | a wave that travels along a surface separating two media |
Periodic Motion | any motion that repeats at regular time intervals |
Period | the time required for one cycle, a complete motion that returns to its starting point |
Frequency | the number of complete cycles in a given time |
Hertz | how frequency in measured |
Wavelength | the distance between a point on one wave and the same point on the next cycle of the wave |
Amplitude | the maximum displacement of the medium from its rest position |
Relfection | occurs when a wave bounces off a surface that it cannot pass through |
Refraction | the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at an angle |
Diffraction | the bending of a wave as it moves around an obstacle or passes through a narrow opening |
Interference | occurs when two or more waves overlap and combine together |
Constructive Interference | occurs when two or more waves combine to produce a wave with a larger displacement |
Destructive Interference | occurs when two or more waves combine to produce a wave with a smaller displacement |
Standing Wave | a wave that appears to stay in one place--it does not seem to move through the medium |
Node | a point on a standing wave that has no displacement from the rest position |
Antinode | a point where a crest or trough occurs midway between two nodes |
Electromagnetic Waves | transverse waves consisting of changing electric fields and changing magnetic fields |
Electric Field | a region of space exerts electric forces and charged particles |
Magnetic Field | a region of space produces magnetic forces |
Electromagnetic Radiation | the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves traveling through matter or across space |
Photoelectric Effect | the emission of electrons from a metal caused by light striking the metal |
Photons | packets of electromagnetic energy |
Intensity | the rate at which a wave's energy flows through a given unit of area |
Electromagnetic Spectrum | the full range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation |
Amplitude Modulation | the amplitude of the wave is varied |
Frequency Modulation | the frequency of the wave is varied |
Theromograms | color-coded pictures that show variations in temperatures |