Science Terms Flashcards
Wave
A disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another without transferring matter.
Medium
The material (solid, liquid, or gas) through which a wave travels.
Transverse Wave
A wave in which the particles of the medium move perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling.
Compressional Wave
A wave in which the particles of the medium move parallel to the direction the wave is traveling, consisting of compressions and rarefactions.
Sound Waves
Longitudinal waves are produced by vibrations that travel through a medium and can be heard when they reach a listener’s ear.
Water Waves
Surface waves that occur on the boundary between water and air, combining both transverse and longitudinal wave motion.
Seismic Waves
Vibrations that travel through the Earth’s crust as a result of earthquakes or other geological activity, including both transverse and compressional types.
Crests
The highest points on a transverse wave.
Troughs
The lowest points on a transverse wave.
Rarefaction
The region in a longitudinal wave where the particles are spread apart.
Wavelength
The distance between two corresponding points on consecutive waves, such as crest to crest or compression to compression.
Frequency
The number of wave cycles that pass a given point per unit of time, measured in hertz (Hz).
Amplitude
The maximum displacement of particles from their resting position in a wave indicates the wave’s energy.
Refraction
The bending of a wave as it passes from one medium into another at an angle, due to a change in speed.
Diffraction
The bending and spreading of waves around obstacles or through openings
Interference
The interaction of waves that meet, results in a combined wave of greater, lesser, or the same amplitude.
Standing Waves
A wave pattern is formed when two waves of the same frequency and amplitude traveling in opposite directions interfere with each other
Resonance
The phenomenon where an object vibrates at its natural frequency when exposed to matching frequencies amplifies the vibration.
Eardrum
A thin membrane in the ear that vibrates in response to sound waves, transmitting them to the inner ear.
Cochlea
A spiral-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals sent to the brain.
Intensity
The amount of energy a wave carries per unit area determines its perceived strength or brightness.
Loudness
The perception of sound intensity, is influenced by the amplitude of the sound wave.
Decibel
A unit of measurement for the intensity of sound, with each 10 dB increase representing a tenfold increase in intensity.
Pitch
The frequency of the sound wave determines the perception of how high or low a sound is.
