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Waves Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Absorption | the transfer of energy from a wave to a medium |
| Amplitude | the distance between the highest crest and the resting position |
| Barrier | something that blocks the way; an obstacle |
| Bend | to turn or force from straight or even to curved or angular |
| Brightness | the lightness or darkness of reflected light |
| Color | what you see when light shines off an object |
| Color Filter | a transparent material that absorbs some colors and allows others to pass through |
| Echo | a repeated sound that is caused by the reflection of a sound wave from a surface |
| Electromagnetic Wave | a form of energy that can travel through empty space |
| Frequency | the number of times a wave repeats in a given amount of time |
| Lens | a curved piece of glass or plastic designed to refract light in a specific way |
| Light Wave | waves that come from a light source |
| Matter | anything that has mass and takes up space |
| Mechanical wave | a wave that requires a medium to travel through |
| Medium/Media | material through which a wave travels |
| Mirror | a reflecting surface |
| Path | is the path an object follows in space |
| Prism | a piece of glass or transparent material that bends light |
| Propagate | the way waves travel or move |
| proportion | something changes with regard to something else |
| Ray | the movement of light from its source to a surface or object |
| Ray diagram | shows how light travels including what happens when it reaches a surface |
| Reflection | waves bouncing off a medium |
| Refraction/refracted | the bending of waves due to a change in speed |
| Sound wave | a vibration or wave that travels through matter and can be heard |
| Transmit | to cause light, heat, and sound to pass through a medium |
| Transparent | allows light to pass through |
| Visible Light Spectrum | the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can view |
| Wave | any disturbance that transfers energy from place to place |
| Wavelength | the distance the wave travels before it starts to repeat |