waves test Flashcards
medium oscillations that occur perpendicular to the direction the wave travels.
transverse
This wave type is characterized by the requirement that the medium through which the energy travels is a physical substance such as solid, liquid, or gas.
mechanical
This wave type results from a source doing work on the medium in a repeated fashion.
continuous
This wave type results when the medium oscillates in the same and opposite direction as
the wave travels through the medium. (paraellel)
longitudal
This wave type is characterized by the source doing work on the medium once.
pulse
by the distance between adjacent crests or troughs in a transverse wave. It is the space occupied by one wave cycle.
wavelength
the maximum displacement of the wave from its equilibrium condition. For a transverse wave it is the height of the crest or depth of the trough.
amplitude
time it takes for one wave cycle to be produced.
(sec per wave)
period
distance that the wave travels divided by the time it takes. (d/t)
wavespeed
the rate at which cycles are produced or pass a specific point in space. (waves per sec)
frequency
This wave property does not change once produced by the source and has units of hertz
frequency
This wave property depends on the medium through which the wave travels and has units
of meters per second (m/s).
wavespeed
This wave quantity is the reciprocal of the frequency and has units of seconds (s).
period
This wave quantity depends on both the frequency and the speed and has units of meters
wavelength
This wave quantity depends on the amount of work the source originally did on the medium
and can diminish as the wave moves away from the source.
amplitude
