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Ch. 14 Holt
waves
Term | Definition |
---|---|
wave | a periodic disturbance in a solid, liquid, or gas as energy is transmitted through a medium |
medium | a physical environment in which phenomena occur |
mechanical wave | a wave that requires a medium through which to travel |
electromagnetic wave | a wave that consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which radiate outward at the speed of light |
transverse wave | a wave in which the particles of the medium move perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling |
longitudinal wave | a wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave motion |
crest | the highest point of a wave |
trough | the lowest point of a wave |
amplitude | the maximum distance that the particles of a wave's medium vibrate from their rest position |
wavelength | the distance from any point on a wave to an identical point of the next wave |
period | the time that it takes a complete cycle or wave oscillation to occur |
frequency | the number of cycles or vibrations per unit of time |
Doppler effect | an observed change in the frequency of a wave when the source or observer is moving |