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Sound and Waves
Chapter 1 Lesson 1 and Lesson 2
Term | Definition |
---|---|
wave | a disturbance involving the transfer of energy from place to place |
energy | the ability to do work |
medium | the material through which a wave travels (gases, liquids, and solids) |
mechanical waves | waves that require a medium to travel |
vibration | a repeated back-and-forth or up-and-down motion |
transverse wave | a wave that vibrates the medium at right angles, or perpendicular, to the direction in which the wave travels |
crest | a high point on a transverse wave |
trough | a low point on a transverse wave |
longitudinal wave | a wave that vibrates the medium in the same direction in which the wave travels |
compression | an area where the coils of a slinky are close together |
rarefaction | an area where the coils of a slinky are far apart, or spread out |
amplitude | the maximum distance the medium vibrates from the rest position (the height of a wave) |
wavelength | the distance between two corresponding parts of a wave |
frequency | the number of waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time |
hertz | the unit used to measure the frequency of a wave |