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EA Physics Unit 11
Waves
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| medium | Material through which a wave travels (such as air or water, or rope) |
| wave | Vibratory disturbance that propagates through a medium |
| mechanical wave | A wave that requires a medium (such as air or water) through which to travel (as opposed to traveling through the vacuum of space) |
| periodic wave | A wave that moves up and down at the same rate |
| pulse | A single traveling disturbance in a medium |
| propagate | To reproduce or spread |
| transverse wave | A wave whose particles vibrate perpendicularly to the direction the wave is traveling |
| perpendicularly | "At right angles to...." |
| crest | The highest point above the equilibrium position |
| trough | The lowest point below the equilibrium position |
| longitudinal wave | A wave whose particles vibrate parallel to the direction the wave is traveling. |
| rarefaction | The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are farthest apart, leading to a low density. |
| compression | The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together, leading to higher density. |
| wavelength | The distance between two adjacent similar points of a wave, such as from crest to crest or from trough to trough. |
| period | The time required for one complete vibration to pass a given point in the medium. |
| cycle | The complete series of changes at one point in a medium as the wave passes. |
| frequency | The number of cycles, or complete vibrations experienced at each point per unit time. |
| amplitude | The maximum displacement of a particle of the medium from its rest or equilibrium position. |
| incident wave | The incoming wave before it has reflected. |
| constructive interference | The interference that occurs when two waves combine to make a wave with a larger amplitude. |
| destructive interference | The interference that occurs when two waves combine to make a wave with a smaller amplitude. |
| standing wave | A wave that appears to stand in one place, even though it is really two waves interfering as they pass through each other. |
| node | A point of zero amplitude on a standing wave. |
| antinode | A point of maximum amplitude on a standing wave. |
| wave front | All the points along a wave that form the wave crest. |
| ray | A line drawn in the direction of wave motion, perpendicular to the wave front |
Created by:
ehansen_eak12
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