click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
waves
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| compressional wave | mechanical wave that causes particles in matter to move back and forth along the direction the wave travels |
| diffraction | bending of waves around an object |
| electromagnetic spectrum | complet range of electromagnetic wave frequencies and wavelength |
| electromagnetic waves | waves that can travel through matter or empty space, includes radio waves, infuriated waves etc. |
| frequency | number of wavelengths that pass a given point in one second measured in hertz |
| infrared waves | electromagnetic waves with the wavelength between about one thousandth of a meter and 700 billionths of a meter |
| intensity | amount of energy a wave carries past a certain area each second |
| law of reflection | states that the angle the incoming wave makes with the normal to the reflecting surface equals the angle the reflected wave makes with the surface |
| pitch | human perception of the frequency of sound |
| refraction | change in direction of a wave when it changes speed as it travels from one material into another |
| reverberation | repeated echoes of sound waves |
| transverse waves | mechanical waves that cause particles in matter to move at a right angle to the direction the wave travels |
| ultraviolet waves | electromagnetic waves with wavelength between about 400 billionths an 10 billionths of a meter |
| wave | disturbance that moves through matter and space and carries energy |
| wavelength | distance between one point on a wave and the nearest point moving with the same speed and direction |