Waves

Question 1

medium

Answer 1

is any substance that a wave moves through

Question 2

mechanical waves

Answer 2

waves that transfer energy through matter

Question 3

transverse wave

Answer 3

the direction in which the wave travels in perpendicular, or at right angles, to the direction of the disturbance

Question 4

longitudinal wave

Answer 4

the wave travels in the same direction as the disturbance

Question 5

reflection

Answer 5

the bouncing back of a wave after it strikes a barrier

Question 6

refraction

Answer 6

is the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at an angle other than 90 degrees

Question 7

diffraction

Answer 7

is the spreading out of waves through an opening or around the edge of an obstacle

Question 8

interference

Answer 8

is the meeting and combining of waves

Question 9

crest

Answer 9

is the highest point, or peak, of a wave

Question 10

trough

Answer 10

is the lowest point, or valley, of a wave

Question 11

amplitude

Answer 11

for a transverse wave is the distance between a line through the middle of a wave and a crest or trough

Question 12

wavelength

Answer 12

the distance from one wave crest to the very next crest

Question 13

frequency

Answer 13

the number of waves passing a fixed point in a certain amount of time

Question 14

electromagnetic wave

Answer 14

the range of all EM frequencies

Question 15

radio waves

Answer 15

are EM waves that have the longest wavelengths, the lowest frequencies, and the lowest energies

Question 16

microwaves

Answer 16

are EM waves with shorter wavelengths, higher frequencies, and higher energy than other radio waves

Question 17

visible light

Answer 17

is the part of the EM spectrum that human eyes can see

Question 18

infrared light

Answer 18

part of the spectrum consists of EM frequencies between microwaves and visible light

Question 19

ultraviolet light

Answer 19

part of the EM spectrum consists of frequencies above those of visible light and partially below those of x-rays

Question 20

x-rays

Answer 20

have frequencies from about 10’16 Hz to 10’21 Hz

Question 21

gamma rays

Answer 21

have frequencies from about 10’19 Hz to more than 10’24 Hz

Question 22

transmission

Answer 22

is the passage of an EM wave through a medium

Question 23

absorption

Answer 23

is the disappearance of an EM wave into the medium

Question 24

scattering

Answer 24

is the spreading out of light rays in all directions, because particles reflect and absorb the light

Question 25

polarization

Answer 25

is a quality of light in which all of its waves vibrate in the same direction

Question 26

prism

Answer 26

is a tool that used refraction to spread out the different wavelengths that make up white light

Question 27

primary colors

Answer 27

these three colors of lights, (red, green, and blue) which can be mixed to produce all possible colors

Question 28

wave

Answer 28

is a disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another

Question 29

electromagnetic spectrum

Answer 29

the range of all EM frequencies

Question 30

radiation

Answer 30

energy that travels across distances in the form of electromagnetic waves.