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Waves and Sound
Waves and Sound Vocabulary
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Compression | The region of a longitudinal wave in which the density and pressure are greater than normal. |
Pitch | The perceived highness or lowness of a sound, depending on the frequency of the sound wave. |
Amplitude | The maximum displacement from equilibrium. |
Longitudinal Wave | A wave whose particles vibrate parallel to the direction of wave motion. |
Crest | The highest point above the equilibrium position. |
Wavelength | The distance between two adjacent similar points of the wave. |
Standing Wave | A wave pattern that results when two waves of the same frequency, wavelength, and amplitude travel in opposite directions and interfere. |
Antinode | A point in a standing wave, halfway between two nodes, at which the largest amplitude occurs. |
Beat | The interference of waves of slightly different frequencies traveling in the same direction. |
Doppler Effect | A frequency shift that is the result of relative motion between the source of sound waves and an observer. |
Resonance | A condition that exists when the frequency of a force applied to a system matches the natural frequency of vibration of the system. |
Frequency | The number of cycles or vibrations per unit of time. |
Pulse Wave | A single disturbance in a medium |
Node | A point in a standing wave that always undergoes complete destructive interference and therefore is stationary. |
Rarefaction | The region of a longitudinal wave in which the density and pressure are less than normal. |
Simple Harmonic Motion | Vibration about an equilibrium position in which a restoring force is proportional to the displacement from equilibrium. |
Trough | The lowest point below the equilibrium position. |
Diffraction | The spreading of waves into a region behind an obstruction. |
Transverse Wave | A wave whose particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the wave motion. |
Decibel Level | Relative intensity determined by relating the intensity of a sound wave to the intensity at the threshold of hearing. |
Periodic Wave | A wave whose source is some form of periodic motion. |
Loudness | The magnitude of the physiological sensation produced by a sound, which varies directly with the physical intensity of sound. |
Propagate | To cause a wave to move in some direction or through a medium. |
Medium | The material through which a disturbance travels. |
Period | The time it takes to execute a complete cycle of motion. |
Timbre | The quality or "color" of the sound. The reason the same note played on a flute and a piano sound different. |