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waves and light
waves and wavelenth
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Wave | a disturbance that transfers energy from place to place |
| Energy | the ability to do work |
| Medium | material through which a wave travels |
| Mechanical waves | travel through gases, liquids or solids |
| Vibration- | repeated back-and-forth or up-and-down motion |
| Amplitude | the maximum distance the particles of a medium move away from their rest positions as a wave passes through the medium |
| Wavelength | distance between 2 corresponding points (crest to crest, trough to trough |
| Frequency | the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time. |
| Speed | how far a wave travels in a given amount of time |
| crest | high point of the wave |
| Trough | the low point of the wave |
| Resting position | is a position to rest at. |
| damping | decrease in amplitude as energy decreases because of friction , air , resistance , gravity, etc |
| Electromagnetic wave | waves that transfer electric and magnetic energy through the vacuum of space |
| electromagnetic spectrum | the complete range of electromagnetic waves placed in order of increasing frequency |
| visible light | electromagnetic waves that are visible to the human eye |
| opaque | not able to see through : non transparent |
| primary colors | Three colors that can be used to make any other color |
| primary colors of light | red, blue, green |
| angle of incidence | the angle the light is coming in |
| law of reflection | the rule that the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence |
| plane mirror | A plane mirror is a mirror with a flat (planar) reflective surface |
| concave mirror | A mirror with a surface that curves inward |
| convex mirror | A mirror with a surface that curves outward |
| refraction | The bending of waves as they enter a new medium at an angle |
| lens | a curved piece of glass or other transparent material that is used to refract light |
| convex lens | a lens that is thicker in the center than at the edges |
| Concave lens | a lens that is thinner in the center than at the edges |