click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
S8P4.a
identify the characteristics of electromagnetic and mechanical waves
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| wave | a periodic disturbance in a solid, liquid, or gas as energy is transmitted through a medium |
| medium | a physical environment in which phenomena occur |
| mechanical wave | a wave that needs a medium to travel |
| transverse wave | a wave in which the particles of the medium move perpendicularly to the direction the wave is traveling |
| longitudinal wave | a wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave motion |
| compression | part of the longitudinal wave where the particles bunch up closer together |
| rarefaction | part of the longitudinal wave in which the particles expand and move apart |
| electromagnetic wave | a wave that consists of electric and magnetic fields that vibrate at right angles to each other |