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Lauren Staats
Chapter 17&18 Vocab
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| mechanical wave | disturbance in matter that carries energy from one place to another |
| medium | material through which a wave travels |
| crest | highest point of the wave above the rest position |
| trough | 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 wave travels |
| compression | an area where the particles in a medium are spaced out |
| rarefraction | an area where the particles in a medium are spread out |
| longitudinal wave | a wave in which the vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction the wave travels |
| surface wave | wave that travels along a surface separating two medium |
| periodic motion | any motion that repeats at regular time intervals |
| period | 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 | frequency measured in cycles persecond |
| 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 |
| reflection | occurs when a wave bounces off a surface that it cannot pass through |
| refraction | bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at a angle |
| diffraction | bending of a wave as it moves around an obstacle or passes through a narrow openin |
| 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 interefence | occurs when two or more waves combine to produce a wave with smaller displacements |
| standing wave | a wave that appears to stay in one place |
| node | a point on a standing wave that has no displacement from its rest position |
| antinode | a point where a crest or tough 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 on charged particles |
| magnetic field | a region of space produces magnetic forces |
| electromagnetic radiation | transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves traveling through matter or across space |
| photoelectric effect | emission of electrons from a metal caused by light striking the metal |
| photons | packets of electromagnetic energy |
| intensity | rate at which a wave's energy flows through a given unit of area |