Question | Answer |
vibration | repeating back-and-forth motion about the equilibrium position. |
wave | a disturbance that is transmitted progressively from one place to the next with no actual transport of matter. |
period | time of a back-and-forth swing of the pendulum. |
simple harmonic motion | the back-and-forth vibratory motion of a swinging pendulum. |
sine curve | pictorial representation of a wave. |
frequency | number of vibrations an object makes in a unit of time. |
hertz | unit of frequency. (Hz) |
transverse waves | whenever the motion of the medium is at right angles to the direction in which a wave travels. |
longitudinal waves | when the particles oscillate parallel to or along the direction of the wave rather that at right angles to it. |
interference pattern | regular arrangement of places where wave regular arrangement of places where wave effects are increased, decreased, or
neutralized. |
constructive pattern | crest of one wave overlaps the crest of another and their individual effects add together. |
out of phase | crests of one wave overlap the troughs of another to produce regions of zero amplitude. |
in phase | the crests of one wave overlap the crests of another and the troughs overlap as well. |
standing wave | a wave that appears to stay in one place-it does not seem to move through the medium. |
nodes | stationary points on a standing wave. |
antinodes | positions on a standing wave with the largest amplitudes. |
Doppler effect | apparent change in frequency due to the motion of the source (or receiver). |
blue shift | increase in frequency-because the increase is toward the high-frequency or the blue end of the color spectrum. |
red shift | decrease in frequency-because it is referring to the low-frequency or the red end of the color spectrum. |
bow wave | crests overlap at the edges and the pattern made by these overlapping crests create a v-shape. |
shock wave | 3-dimensional wave that consists of overlapping spheres that form a cone-shape. |
sonic boom | sharp crack heard when the shock wave that sweeps behind a supersonic aircraft reaches the listeners. |