Science Vocabulary Flashcards
Medium
A substance through which a wave moves.
Mechanical wave
A wave, such as a sound or a seismic wave, that transfers kinetic energy through matter.
Transverse wave
A type of wave in which the disturbance moves at right angles, or perpendicular, to the direction in which the waver travels.
Longitudinal wave
A type of wave in which the disturbance moves in the same direction that the wave travels.
Crest
The highest point, or peak of the wave.
Trough
The lowest point, or valley, of a wave.
Amplitude
The maximum distance that a disturbance causes a medium to move from its rest position; the distance between a crest or a trough of a wave and a line through the center of the wave.
Wavelength
A disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another without requiring matter to move the entire distance.
Wave
A disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another without requiring matter to move the entire distance.
Trough
The lowest point or valley of a wave
Amplitude
The maximum distance that a disturbance causes a medium to move from its rest position; the distance between a crest or trough of a wave and love me through the center of the wave .
Wavelength
The distance from one wave peak or crest to the next peak or crest. Wavelength can be measured as the distance from any part of one wave to the identical part of the next wave.
Frequency
The number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time, usually one second; the number of cycles per unit time.
Reflection
The bouncing back of a wave after it strikes its barrier.
Refraction
The bending of a wave as it crosses the boundary between two mediums at an angle other than 90 degrees.
Diffraction
The spreading out of waves as they pass through an opening or around the edges of an obstacle.
Interference
The meeting and combining of waves; the adding or subtracting of wave amplitudes that occur as waves.
Electromagnetic wave
A type of wave, such as a light wave or a radio wave, that does not require a medium to travel; a disturbance that transfers energy through a field.
Radiation
Energy that travels across distances in the form of electromagnetic waves.
Electromagnetic spectrum
The range of all electromagnetic frequencies, including the following types (from lowest to highest frequency): radio waves, microwaves, infrared light,visible light, ultra-violet light, x-rays, and gamma waves.
Radio waves
The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with the lowest frequencies.
Microwaves
Part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with higher frequencies than infrared light.
Visible light
The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves detectable by the human eye.
Infrared light
Part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with frequencies between those of microwaves and visible light.
