Waves Unit Flashcards
frequency
the number of cycles a wave completes in a period of time; the number of times something happens in a period of time
Period
The wave period is the time it takes to complete one cycle. The standard unit of a wave period is in seconds, and it is inversely proportional to the frequency of a wave
Wave length
the distance between successive crests of a wave, especially points in a sound wave or electromagnetic wave.
Crest
DescriptionA crest is the point on a wave with the maximum value of upward displacement within a cycle. A crest is a point on a surface wave where the displacement of the medium is at a maximum.
trough
A trough is the opposite of a crest, so the minimum or lowest point in a cycle.
Medium
Waves consist of oscillations or vibrations of a physical medium or a field, around relatively fixed locations.
Amplitude
height or “strength” of a wave
longitudinal wave
a wave vibrating in the direction of propagation.
electromagnetic spectrum
DescriptionThe electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths and photon energies
transverse wave
a wave vibrating at right angles to the direction of its propagation.
compression
Mechanical longitudinal waves are also called compressional or compression waves, because they produce compression and rarefaction when traveling through a medium, and pressure waves, because they produce increases and decreases in pressure.
rarefaction
Rarefaction is the reduction of an item’s density, the opposite of compression.
reflection
Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated.
Refraction
In physics refraction is the change in direction of a wave passing from one medium to another or from a gradual change in the medium.
diffraction
DescriptionDiffraction refers to various phenomena that occur when a wave encounters an obstacle or a slit.
