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Gabby Miller
Chapter17&18Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Wave | 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 position |
| Trough | the lowest point below the rest position |
| Transverse Wave | a wave that causes the medium to vibrate at right angles to the direction in which the waves travel |
| Compression | an area where the particles in a medium are spaced close together |
| Rarefaction | an area in a medium where the particles are spread out |
| Longitudinal Wave | a wave in which the vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction the wave travels |
| Surface Wave | 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 | the number of complete cycles in a given time |
| Hertz | how frequency in measured |
| Wavelength | 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 |
| Relfection | occurs when a wave bounces off a surface that it cannot pass through |
| Refraction | the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at an angle |
| Diffraction | the bending of a wave as it moves around an obstacle or passes through a narrow opening |
| Interference | occurs when two or more waves overlap and combine together |
| Constructive Interference | 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 displacement |
| Standing Wave | a wave that appears to stay in one place--it does not seem to move through the medium |
| Node | a point on a standing wave that has no displacement from the rest position |
| Antinode | a point where a crest or trough occurs midway between two nodes |
| Electromagnetic Waves | transverse waves consisting of changing electric fields and changing magnetic fields |
| Electric Field | a region of space exerts electric forces and charged particles |
| Magnetic Field | a region of space produces magnetic forces |
| Electromagnetic Radiation | the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves traveling through matter or across space |
| Photoelectric Effect | the emission of electrons from a metal caused by light striking the metal |
| Photons | packets of electromagnetic energy |
| Intensity | 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 Modulation | the amplitude of the wave is varied |
| Frequency Modulation | the frequency of the wave is varied |
| Theromograms | color-coded pictures that show variations in temperatures |