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Chapter 15
Characteristics of Waves
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| wave | a disturbance that transfers energy from place to place |
| energy | the ability to do work or cause change |
| medium | the material through which a wave travels |
| mechanical waves | a wave that requires a medium through which to travel |
| vibration | a repeated back and forth or up and down motion |
| transverse wave | a wave that moves the medium in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels |
| crest | the highest part of a transverse wave |
| trough | the lowest part of a transverse wave |
| longitude wave | a wave that moves a medium in a direction parallel to the direction in which the wave travels |
| compression | the part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together |
| rarefaction | the part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are far apart |
| amplitude | the maximum distance the particles of a medium move away from their rest positions as a wave passes through the medium |
| wavelength | the distance between two corresponding parts of a wave |
| frequency | the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time |
| hertz | unit of measurement for frequency |
| reflection | the bouncing back of an object or wave when it hits a surface through which it cannot pass |
| law of reflection | the rule that the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence |
| refraction | the bending of waves as they enter a new medium at an angle |
| diffraction | the bending of waves as they move around a barrier or pass through an opening |
| interference | the interaction between waves that meet |
| constructive interference | the interference that occurs when waves combine to make a wave with a larger amplitude |
| destructive interference | the interference that occurs when two waves combine to make a wave with a smaller amplitude |
| standing wave | a wave that appears to stand in one place, even though it is really two waves interfering as they pass through each other |
| node | a point of zero amplitude on a standing wave |
| antinode | a point of maximum amplitude on a standing wave |
| resonance | the increase in the amplitude of a vibration that occurs when external vibrations match an object’s natural frequency |
| seismic wave | a wave produced by an earthquake |
| P wave | a longitudinal seismic wave |
| S wave | a transverse seismic wave |
| surface wave | a combination of a longitudinal wave and a transverse wave that travels along the surface of a medium |
| tsunami wave | a huge surface wave on the ocean caused by an underwater earthquake |
| seismograph | an instrument used to detect and measure earthquake waves |
Created by:
KerriReynolds
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