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Waves
vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
compressional waves | 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 | complete range of electromagnetic wave frequencies and wavelengths. |
electromagnetic waves | waves that can travel through matter or empty space,includes radio waves, infrared waves, visible waves, ultraviolet waves, x rays, and gamma rays. |
frequency | number of wavelengths that pass a given point in one second, measured in hertz. |
infrared waves | electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between about one thousandth of a meter and 700 billionths of a meter. |
intensity | a amount of energy that a wave carries past a certain area each sound. |
law of reflection | states that the angle the incoming wave makes with the normal to the reflecting surface equals the angle the reflected makes with the surface. |
pitch | human perception of the frequency of sound. |
refraction | change of direction of wave when it changes speed as it travels from one material into another. |
reverberation | repeated echos of sound waves. |
transverse wave | mechanical wave that causes particles in matter to move at right angles to the direction the wave travels. |
ultraviolet wave | electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between about 400 billionths and 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 |