Waves Flashcards
Wavelength
The length (in space) of one complete wave cycle, measured in distance units
Visible Light
Light with frequencies that humans can see
Wavelength: red is long. Violet is short.
Frequency: red is low. Violet is high.
Decibel
The unit for the loudness of sound and is abbreviated dB
Crests
The peaks, or hoghest points, of a veryically vibrating transverse wave
Wave speed
A measure of how fast the wave energy moves from one place to another
Frequency
The number of full cycles that happen each second, measured in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz)
Compression Wave
A longitudinal wave with areas of high and low pressure, or density
Longitudinal Wave
A wave in which the direction or the vibration is parallel to the direction the energy travels
Wave
A disturbance that transports energy as it moves through space and time
Threshold of Pain
Sound at 120 dB
Pitch
How high or low the sound seems to a human ear
Electromagnetic spectrum
The entire range of frequencies of electromagnetic waves from very long radio waves to very short gamma rays
Specular Reflection
A reflection that looks like the image
Reflection (of light)
The bouncing of light off of a surface
Nearsightedness
A vision problem in which a person cannot see distant objexts without correction because their eyeball is too long. Nearsightedness is corrected with diverging lenses.
Threshold of hearing
0 dB, the softest sound a human can hear
Farsightedness
A vision problem in which a person cannot see nearby objects without correction. Farsightedness is corrected with converging lenses.
Loudness
Human perception of the intensity of a sound
Refraction (of Light)
The bending of a light ray’s direction of travel as it passes from one material to another
Troughs (of a wave)
The valleys, or lowest points, of a vertically vibrating transverse wave
Intensity
The amount of energy transporter by a wave, measured in decibels (dB)
Transverse Wave
A wave in which the direction of the vibration is perpendicular to the directioncthe energy travels
Medium
The material that carries a mechanical wave
Amplitude
The maximun displacement of a particle of the medium during a vibration (measured from non-vibrating position to one crest)
Period
The time it takes to complete one full wave cycle, measured in seconds
Mechanical Waves
Physical waves that travel through a medium
Photon
A particle of light energy
Electromagnetic Waves
Waves consisting of vibrating electric and magnetic fields. Elctromagnetic waves can travel throigh a vacuum because they do not require a medium. Emitted by all objects with a temperature above absolute zero.
Compound Microscope
An optical instrument that often uses two thick convex lenses to magnify very small objects
Telescope
An optical instrument that often uses two convex lenses to form a virtual image of a distant object
Dual nature
Light has both a wave nature and a particle nature
Diffuse Reflection
A reflection in which no image is seen
Excited Electrons
Electrons in orbitals higher than the ground state
Electron Transitions
The movement of electrons from the ground state in atoms to higher orbitals and back due to the absorption and emission of energy
