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Characteristics of Waves

Terms

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What is a wave?
A method of transferring energy from one place to another w/o the transfer of matter
What is energy?
The ABILITY to do work
What is a transverse wave?
a WAVE in which the medium vibrates PERPENDICULAR to the direction the wave energy travels
What is a medium?
Material or substance that the wave energy travels
What is reflection
Bouncing of a wave off of the boundary between 2 different media (plural medium)
What is dissipation?
Decrease in energy of a wave, as it travels further and further from the source.
What is Refraction?
Bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another b/c of a change in speed
What is a Boundary
point of contact between 2 different media
What is a wavelength?
distance from one point on a wave to the same point on the next consecutive wave
What is a crest?
Upper displacement of the particles of the medium away from equilibrium
What is a trough?
Downward displacement of the particles of the medium away from equilibrium
What is the equation for frequency?
# of wavelength ÷ unit of time
What is amplitude?
maximum displacement of the particles of the medium away from equilibrium
What is color?
The human interpretation of the frequency of a light wave
(Type of light)
All of the frequencies of the white light are absprbed except ________ frequency which is reflected.
Brightness/dimness
human interpretation of the amplitude of a light wave
What is a longtidunal wave?
wave in which particles of the medium vibrate PARALLEL to the direction which the wave energy travels
What is a compression?
The are of longitudinal wave in which the particles of the medium are more dense then at Xo
What is a rarefaction?
The are of a longitudinal wave in which the particles are less dense then at Xo
Pitch-
human interpretation of a sound wave
Loudness/Quietness
human interpretation of a sound wave
interference--
when 2 or more similar waves pass through the same medium at the same time, the resulting wave form is the additive sum of each of the waves

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