Waves Vocab Flashcards
Frequency
The number of cycles a wave completes in a period of time; the number of times something in a period of time
Period
The time to pass one complete cycle to pass a point
Wavelength
The distance between one peak and the next on a wave
Crest
The highest point of a wave
Trough
The lowest point of a wave
Medium
An intervening substance, as air, through which a force acts or an effect is produced
Amplitude
High or “strength” of a wave
Longitudinal wave
A wave that occurs when the particles of a medium move parallel to the direction of the waves
Electromagnetic spectrum
The transfer of energy without matter
Transverse wave
A wave that occurs when the particles of a medium are displaced perpendicularly to the direction of the wave
Compression
Occurs when rocks squeezed by external forces directed toward one another to put tress on the rock, acting to decrease its volume or shortens its dimensions
Rarefraction
The act or rare process of rarefying
Reflection
The way light bounces of something
Refraction
The change of direction of a ray of light,heat,sound
Diffraction
The bending of light as it passes through or around an object
