Chapter 9 Flashcards
Wave
A repeating disturbance that transfers energy through matter or space.
Medium
Matter through which a wave travels.
Mechanical Wave
Waves that can only travel through matter. They can be either transversal or longitudinal.
Ex. Sounds Waves
Transverse Wave
Particles in the medium move back and forth at right angles to the direction that the wave travels.
Longitudinal Waves
Matter in the medium moves back and forth along the same direction that the wave travels.
Crests
The highest point on a transverse wave.
Troughs
Lowest point of a transverse wave.
Compression
Denser region of a longitudinal wave.
Rarefaction
Less dense region of a longitudinal wave
Wavelength
Distance between one point on a wave and the nearest point just like it.
Frequency
the number of wavelengths that pass a fixed point each second. When frequency increases, the period decreases.
Period
Amount of time it takes one wavelength to pass a point. When frequency decreases, the period increases.
Amplitude
A measure of the size of the disturbance of a wave, related to the energy that it carries.
Refraction
The bending of a wave caused by a change in its speed as it travels from one medium to another.
Diffraction
The bending of a wave around an object.
Interference
The process of two or more waves overlapping and combining to form a new wave.
Standing Wave
A special type of wave pattern that forms when waves equal in wavelength and amplitude constantly interfere with one another and traveling in opposite directions.
Nodes
Locations where the interfering waves always cancel.
Resonance
The process by which an object is made to vibrate by absorbing energy at its natural frequencies.
What object could you use to represent a transverse wave and why would you choose that object?
What object could you use to represent a longitudinal wave and why would you choose that object?
After understanding more about waves, how can this information add to your life?
As someone hopefully working in the music area career-wise, It’s helpful to understand how sound waves work and how I can use them in my work.
True or False: Waves carry energy without transporting matter
True
True or False: The speed of a wave is the product of its frequency and its wavelength
True
