click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
s8P4.a and b
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 in which 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 |
| rarefraction | part of the longitudinal wave in which the particles expand and move apart |
| electromagnetic wave | a wave that consists of electric and magnetic field that vibrate at right angles to eachother |
| reflection | the bouncing back of a ray of light,sound ,or hear when the ray hits a surface that is does not go through |
| refraction | the bending of a wave as the wave passes between the two substances in which the speed of the wave differs |
| diffraction | a change in the direction of a wave when the wave finds an obstacle or an edge such as an opening |
| transmission | the passing of light or other form of energy through matter |
| absorption | in optics the transfer of light energy to particles of matter |