Upgrade to remove ads
Busy. Please wait.
Log in with Clever
or

show password
Forgot Password?

Don't have an account?  Sign up 
Sign up using Clever
or

Username is available taken
show password


Make sure to remember your password. If you forget it there is no way for StudyStack to send you a reset link. You would need to create a new account.
Your email address is only used to allow you to reset your password. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


Already a StudyStack user? Log In

Reset Password
Enter the associated with your account, and we'll email you a link to reset your password.

Waves

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
        Help!  

Term
Definition
waves   oscillations that carry energy  
🗑
oscillation   an up-and-down or back-and-forth motion  
🗑
vacuum   space that has no matter in it  
🗑
mechanical waves   waves that move through matter  
🗑
types of mechanical waves   - water waves - sound waves  
🗑
electromagnetic waves   waves that move through vacuums  
🗑
types of electromagnetic waves   - light waves - x-rays - radio waves  
🗑
wave properties (definition)   the four main characteristics of a wave  
🗑
amplitude   one-half the distance between a wave's high point and low point; measures how much a wave is displaced from its resting point  
🗑
crest   a wave's high point  
🗑
trough   a wave's low point  
🗑
resting point   the position the medium would take if there were no wave  
🗑
wavelength & symbol   measured from a point on one wave to the same point on another wave; the Greek letter lambda  
🗑
wavelength units   meters (m)  
🗑
3 ways to measure wavelength are:   1) crest-to-crest 2) trough-to-trough 3) resting point-to-resting point  
🗑
frequency   number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given unit of time  
🗑
units for frequency   hertz (H2) (number of waves per second)  
🗑
wave speed   the time it takes for a wave to move from one point to another  
🗑
wave speed units   meters per second (m/s)  
🗑
wave speed equation   frequency * wavelength (v=f*lambda)  
🗑
medium   A substance that makes possible the transfer of energy from one location to another  
🗑
reflection (and example)   when a wave bounces off a surface; when you look into a mirror, you see yourself because the light waves have been reflected off the surface  
🗑
law of reflection   explains that waves get reflected in a particular way - a wave gets reflected at the same angle as it moved toward the barrier  
🗑
reflected ray   the wave bouncing off something  
🗑
incident ray   the wave moving toward something  
🗑
refraction (and example)   the bending of waves as they travel through different mediums; why your legs look really short when standing in a pool  
🗑
diffraction (and example)   the bending of waves around a barrier or the spreading of waves past small openings; when ocean waves come through a jetty or pier  
🗑
interference   the result of waves colliding with each other  
🗑
constructive interference   when waves collide, they combine to form a larger wave  
🗑
destructive interference   when waves collide, they interfere with each other and cancel each other out  
🗑
absorption   the transfer of energy from a wave to matter as the wave passes through it  
🗑
absorbed colors   the light waves going into an object [colors that absorb more light rays (dark colors), heat up when in light]  
🗑
reflected colors   the light waves being reflected to show different colors  
🗑
electromagnetic spectrum (know order and describe)   the wavelengths and frequency range of electromagnetic waves - radio waves - microwaves - infrared waves - visible light - ultraviolet waves (UV rays) - x-rays - gamma rays  
🗑
visible light spectrum   colors in the visible spectrum from longest to shortest wavelength: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet  
🗑
longitudinal wave   a wave that oscillates in the direction as it moves (sound waves)  
🗑
expansion   the wavelength of longitudinal waves spreading apart  
🗑
compression   the wavelength of longitudinal waves getting closer together  
🗑
intensity (of sound)   how much energy the sound wave carries past a certain area; the amplitude determines the intensity; the closer you are to a sound the higher the intensity and vice versa  
🗑
units of sound   decibels (dB)  
🗑
pitch   our perception of sound wave frequency  
🗑
analog signal   signals that carry info but vary continuously in both amplitude and frequency (much more susceptible to interference)  
🗑
digital signal   signals that send info as wave pulses and communicate only through 1s and 0s, so the form that the info takes is much simpler  
🗑


   

Review the information in the table. When you are ready to quiz yourself you can hide individual columns or the entire table. Then you can click on the empty cells to reveal the answer. Try to recall what will be displayed before clicking the empty cell.
 
To hide a column, click on the column name.
 
To hide the entire table, click on the "Hide All" button.
 
You may also shuffle the rows of the table by clicking on the "Shuffle" button.
 
Or sort by any of the columns using the down arrow next to any column heading.
If you know all the data on any row, you can temporarily remove it by tapping the trash can to the right of the row.

 
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.

  Normal Size     Small Size show me how
Created by: 2022josk
Popular Physical Science sets