click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Waves
Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Compression | region of a longitudinal wave where the particles in the medium are closest together |
| crest | highest point on a transverse wave |
| electromagnetic wave | can travel through empty space and through matter |
| energy | ability to cause change |
| longitudinal wave | make the particles in a medium move parallel to the direction of the wave |
| mechanical wave | travel only through matter |
| medium | material in which a mechanical wave travels |
| rarefaction | region of longitudinal wave where the particles are fathest apart |
| transverse wave | distrurbance is perpendicular to the direction of the wave |
| trough | lowest point on a transverse wave |
| wave | disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another |
| amplitude | maximum distance particles in a medium move form their rest position as wave pass through the medium |
| frequency | number of wavelengths that pass by a point each second |
| wavelength | distance from one point on a wave to the same point on the next wave |