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Waves
Physical Science Waves
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Wave | rhythmic disturbances that carry energy through matter or space |
medium | material through which a wave transfers energy |
mechanical wave | is just a disturbance that propagate through a medium. |
electromagnetic wave | is simply light of a visible or invisible wavelength. |
longitudinal wave | the particles in the medium move parallel to the direction of the wave. |
transverse wave | the particles in the medium move perpendicular to the direction of the wave. |
surface wave | is often a combination of the two. Particles typically move in circular or elliptical paths at the surface of a medium. |
Crest | the highest point on a wave |
trough | the lowest point on a wave |
wavelength | the horizontal distance, either between the crests or troughs of 2 consecutive waves |
amplitude | measure of the energy in the wave, height of wave |
rarefaction | is the part of the longitudinal wave where the particles are spread apart. |
compression | the part of the longitudinal wave where the particles are crowded together. |