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Waves
Term | Definition |
---|---|
wave | a rhythmic disturbance that carries energy; transfer energy from one place to another |
transverse waves | matter moves at right angles to the direction the wave travels (water); source moves up and down, coils move up and down |
compressional waves/longitudinal waves | matter vibrates in the same direction as the wave (sound wave); source moves left and right, coils move left and right |
parts of a wave | crest, trough, wavelength, amplitude |
wavelength | the distance between a point on one wave and the identical point on the next wave |
amplitude | the greatest distance a wave rises or falls from its rest position (or height of the wave) |
rest position | the position of the wave before it is disturbed; represented by the dotted line |
crest | highest point in a transverse wave |
trough | lowest point in a transverse wave |
frequency | is a count of the number of waves that pass a given point in one second |
Hertz | the unit for the frequency of a wave |
high frequency | shorter wavelength |
low frequency | longer wavelength |
formula for finding velocity (speed) of a wave | velocity=wavelength x frequency |
period of a wave | the amount of time a particle on the wave would take to complete one wavelength |
two things needed for sound to be produced | a vibration (Tuning forks) and a medium (material) for the vibration to travel through |
characteristics of sound waves | compressional waves, expand outward in all directions, need a medium to travel (cannot travel through a vacuum) |
loudness of sound depends on | the amplitude of the wave |
decibels | unit used to measure volume |
pitch | how high or low a sound is heard by our ears; depends on how many times the air vibrates in one second |
speed of sound depends on | the density and elasticity of the medium it is traveling through |
sound travels fastest through | dense solids with little elasticity |
sound travels slowest through | gases that are easy to compress |
The speed of sound depends on | temperature and density |
We see different colors because of | the wavelength of light that is reflected |
white light is | a combination of all colors being reflected |
black is | the absorption of all colors |
red absorbs all wavelengths EXCEPT | red |
radiation | the transfer of energy by the Electromagnetic Spectrum |
electromagnetic waves are | transverse waves, able to carry energy through "empty space", arranged in the spectrum by their different wavelengths |
radio waves have | the longest wavelength and lowest frequency |
infrared radiation is produced | by all hot objects |
visible light is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum that | can be detected by our eyes |
ultraviolet radiation can | kill living cells |
X rays and gamma rays have the | shortest wavelength and highest frequency |
This color has the longest wavelength so it blends the least. | Red |
This color has the shortest wavelength so it blends the most. | Violet |
concave lens | makes objects look smaller |
convex lens | flipped objects upside down or make objects larger |
concave mirror | makes the image larger of zoomed in |
convex mirror | makes the image look smaller or farther away |
transparent | an object that lets ALL light pass through it. |
translucent | an object that lets SOME light pass through it |
opaque | an object that lets NO light pass through it |
changes in wave patterns result from | hitting a boundary, changing the medium in which they travel, collisions with other waves |
when light passes from one type of material to another, 3 things may happen | reflection, refraction, diffraction |
reflection | the bouncing back of a wave when it hits a boundary |
refraction | the bending of light due to a change in the speed |
diffraction | the bending of waves around a barrier that blocks their path |
lenses | a transparent piece of glass or plastic that refracts light |
Light passing through a convex lens _______ and _______ closer making an object look larger | bends and focuses |
Light passing through a concave lens bends and focuses ____________ away making an object look smaller | farther |
A glass prism will _______________ or bend light. | refract |