Vocabulary

Question 1

Medium

Answer 1

the matter through which the wave travels

Question 2

Mechanical wave

Answer 2

waves that require a medium

ex. sound waves and earthquake waves

Question 3

electromagnetic waves

Answer 3

consists of changing electric and magnetic fields in space

Question 4

transverse wave

Answer 4

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

Question 5

longitudinal wave

Answer 5

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

Question 6

crest

Answer 6

high point of a wave

Question 7

trough

Answer 7

low point of a wave

Question 8

rarefactions

Answer 8

stretched out areas of a wave

Question 9

compressions

Answer 9

crowded areas of a wave

Question 10

surface wave

Answer 10

the particles move both perpendicularly and parallel to the direction in which the wave travels

Question 11

amplitude

Answer 11

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

Question 12

wavelength

Answer 12

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

Question 13

period

Answer 13

the time that it takes a complete cycle or wave oscillation to occur

Question 14

frequency

Answer 14

the number of cycles or vibrations per unit of time; also the number of waves produced in a given amount of time

Question 15

doppler effect

Answer 15

an observed change in the frequency of a wave when the source or observer is moving

Question 16

reflection

Answer 16

the bouncing back of a wave when it meets a surface or boundary

Question 17

diffraction

Answer 17

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

Question 18

refraction

Answer 18

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

Question 19

interference

Answer 19

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

Question 20

constructive interference

Answer 20

a superposition of two or more waves that produces an intensity equal to the sum of the intensities of the individual waves

Question 21

destructive interference

Answer 21

a superposition of two or more waves that produces an intensity equal to the difference of the intensities of the individual waves

Question 22

simple harmonic motion

Answer 22

when a spring is expanded or compressed, it exerts a force that moves the mass back to the original resting position

Question 23

damped harmonic motion

Answer 23

a vibration that fades out as energy is transferred form one object to another