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Unit 6
Waves Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Frequency | the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time |
Period | the time it takes to complete one cycle |
Wave velocity | distance traversed by a periodic, or cyclic, motion per unit time (in any direction) |
Amplitude | height of wave |
Transverse Wave | the motion of the particles is perpendicular (up and down) to the direction of the wave |
Compression | a region in a longitudinal wave where the particles are closest together |
Mechanical Wave | waves that require a medium to travel |
Electromagnetic Wave | (non-mechanical) waves that do not require a medium |
Surface Wave | a 90 degree wave that travels along the interface between differing media |
Longitudinal Wave | particles in a medium vibrate parallel ( back and forth) to the direction of the wave |
Reflection | the bouncing back of a wave when it meets a surface or boundary |
Refraction | the bending of waves when they pass from one medium to another |
Diffraction | occurs when a wave passes through an opening and spreads out |
Interference | the combination of two or more waves of the same frequency that results in a single wave |
Rarefaction | a region in a longitudinal wave where the particles are furthest apart. |
medium | matter through which waves travel |
constructive interference | occurs when two or more waves hit the same point and combine to make a larger single wave |
destructive interference | occurs when two or more waves hit the same point and combine to make a smaller single wave |