Chapter 8 Flashcards
sound wave
A longitudinal wave that is caused by vibrations and that travels through a material medium.
Medium
A physical environment in which phenomena occur.
Pitch
A measure of how high or low a sound is perceived to be, depending on the frequency of the sound wave.
Doppler Effect
An observed change in the frequency of a wave when the source or observer is moving.
Loudness
The extent to which a sound can be heard.
Decibel
The most common unit used measure loudness.
echo
A reflected sound wave.
echolocation
The process of using reflected sound waves to find objects;used by animals such as bat.
Interference
The combination of two or more waves that results in a single wave.
Sonic boom
The explosive sound heard when a shock wave from an object traveling faster than the speed of sound reaches a person’s ear.
Standing wave
A pattern of vibrations that stimulates a wave that is standing still.
Resonance
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.
Sound quality
The result of the blending of several pitches through interference.
Noise
A sound that consists of a random mix of frequencies.
