Chapter 7: Waves

Question 1

a periodic disturbance in a solid, liquid, or gas as energy is transmitted through a medium

Answer 1

wave

Question 2

a physical environment in which phenomena occur

Answer 2

medium

Question 3

a wave in which the particles of a medium move perpendicularly to the direction the wave is traveling

Answer 3

transverse wave

Question 4

a wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave motion

Answer 4

longitudinal wave

Question 5

the maximum distance that the particles of a wave’s medium vibrate from their rest position

Answer 5

amplitude

Question 6

the distance from any point on a wave to an identical point on the next wave

Answer 6

wavelength

Question 7

the number of waves produced in a given amount of time

Answer 7

frequency

Question 8

the speed at which a wave travels through a medium

Answer 8

wave speed

Question 9

a bouncing back of a ray of light, sound, or heat when the ray hits a surface that does not go through

Answer 9

reflection

Question 10

the bending of a wave as the wave passes between two substances in which the speed of a wave differs

Answer 10

refraction

Question 11

a change in the direction of a wave when the wave finds an obstacle or an edge, such as an opening

Answer 11

diffraction

Question 12

the combination of two or more waves that results in a single wave

Answer 12

interference

Question 13

a pattern of vibration that simulates a wave that is standing still

Answer 13

standing wave

Question 14

a phenomenon that occurs when two objects naturally vibrate at the same frequency; the sound produced by one object causes the other object to vibrate

Answer 14

resonance