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Waves
Term | Definition |
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Wave | a disturbance that transfers energy from place to place |
Mechanical Wave | a wave that requires a medium through which to travel |
Longitudinal Wave | a wave that moves a medium in a direction parallel to the direction in which the wave travels; Ex: sound waves |
Compression | part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together |
Rarefaction | part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are far apart |
Transverse Wave | a wave the moves the medium in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels; Ex: water waves |
Crest | the highest part of a transverse wave |
Trough | the lowest part of a transverse wave |
Amplitude | the maximum distance the particles of a medium move away from their rest position as a wave passes through the medium |
Medium | the material through which a wave travels |
Wavelength | the distance between two corresponding parts of a wave |
Hertz | the unit of measurement for frequency (Hz) |
Frequency | the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time |
Pitch | the perception of the frequency of a a sound |
Vibration | a repeated back-and-forth or up-and-down motion |