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Danielle Easterday
Chapter 17 Vocab.
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Mechanical Wave | Is a disturbance in matter that carries energy from one place to another. |
Medium | The material through which a wave travels. |
Crest | The highest point of the wave above the rest point. |
Trough | The lowest point below the rest position. |
Transverse Wave | Is a wave that causes the medium to vibrate at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels. |
Compression | An area where the particles in a medium are spaced close together. |
Rarefaction | An area where the particles in a medium are spread out. |
Longitudinal Wave | Is a wave in which the vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction the wave travels. |
Surface Wave | Is a wave that travels along a surface separating two media. |
Periodic Motion | Any motion that repeats at regular time intervals. |
Period | The time required for one cycle, a complete motion that returns to its starting point. |
Frequency | Is the number of complete cycles in a given time. |
Hertz | Frequency is measured in cycles per second. |
Wavelength | Is the distance between a point on one wave and the same point on the next cycle of the wave. |
Amplitude | The maximum displacement of the medium from its rest position. |
Reflection | Occurs when a wave bounces off a surface that it cannot pass through. |
Refraction | Is the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at an angle. |
Diffraction | Is the bending of a wave as it moves around an obstacle or passes through a narrow opening. |
Intereference | Occurs when two or more waves overlap and combine together. |
Constructive Intereference | Occurs when two or more waves combine to produce a wave with a larger displacement. |
Destructive Interference | Occurs when two or more waves combine to produce a wave with a smaller displacements. |
Standing Wave | Is a wave that appears to stay in one place-it does not seem to move through the medium. |
Node | Is a point on a standing wave that has no displacement from the rest position. |
Antinode | Is a point where a crest or trough occurs midway between two nodes. |
Electromagnetic Waves | Are transverse waves consisting of changing electric fields and changing magnetic fields. |
Electric Field | Is a region of space that exerts electric forces on charged particles. |
Magnetic Field | Is a region of space that produces magnetic forces. |
Electromagnetic Radiation | The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves traveling through matter or across space. |
Photoelectric Sffect | The emission of electrons from a metal caused by light striking the metal. |
Photons | The packets of electromagnetic energy. |
Intensity | Is the rate at which a wave's energy flows through a given unit of area. |
Electromagnetic Spectrum | The full range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. |
Amplitude Moderation | The amplitude of the wave is varied. |
Frequency Modulation | The frequency of the wave is varied. |
Thermograms | Are color-coded pictures that show variations in temperature. |