Waves Vocabulary Flashcards
1
Q
- Medium
A
- Is any substance that a wave moves through.
2
Q
- Mechanical wave
A
- Waves that transfer energy through matter.
3
Q
- Transverse wave
A
- The direction in which the wave travels is perpendicular, or at right angles, to the direction of the disturbance.
4
Q
- Longitudinal wave
A
- The wave travels in the same direction as the disturbance.
5
Q
- Crest
A
- A crest is the highest point, or peak of a wave.
6
Q
- Trough
A
- A trough is the lowest point, or valley of a wave.
7
Q
- Amplitude
A
- For a transverse wave is the distance between a line through the middle of a wave and a crest or trough.
8
Q
- Wavelength
A
- The distance from one wave crest to the very next crest.
9
Q
- Frequency
A
The number of waves passing a fixed point in a certain amount of time.
10
Q
- Reflection
A
- The bouncing back of a wave after it strikes a barrier.
11
Q
- Refraction
A
- Refraction is the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at an angle other than 90 degrees.
12
Q
- Diffraction
A
- Diffraction is the spreading out of waves through an opening or around the edge of an obstacle.
13
Q
- Interference
A
- Interference is the meeting and combining of waves.
14
Q
- Transmission
A
- Transmission is the passage of an EM wave through a medium.
15
Q
- Absorption
A
- Absorption is the disappearance of an EM wave into a medium.
16
Q
- Scattering
A
- Scattering is the spreading out of light rays in all directions, because particles reflect and absorb the light.
17
Q
- Polarization
A
- Polarization is a quality of light in which all of its waves vibrate in the same direction.
18
Q
- Prism
A
- A prism is a tool that uses refraction to spread out the different wavelengths that make up white light.
19
Q
- Primary colors
A
- These three colors of light, which can be mixed to produce all possible colors.
20
Q
- Primary pigments
A
- The primary pigments are cyan, yellow, and magenta.
21
Q
- Electromagnetic spectrum
A
- The range of all EM frequencies.
22
Q
- Radio waves
A
- Radio waves are EM waves that have the longest wavelengths, the lowest frequencies, and the lowest energies.
23
Q
- Microwaves
A
- Microwaves are EM waves with shorter wavelengths, higher frequencies,and higher energy than other radio waves.
24
Q
- Visible light
A
- Visible light is the part of the EM spectrum that human eyes can see.
25
Q
- Infrared light
A
- The infrared light part of the spectrum consists of EM frequencies between microwaves and visible light.
26
Q
- Ultraviolet
A
- The ultraviolet light part of the EM spectrum consists of frequencies above those of visible light and partially below those of x-rays.
27
Q
- X-Rays
A
- X-Rays have frequencies from about 1016 Hz to 1021 Hz.
28
Q
- Gamma Rays
A
- Gamma rays have frequencies from about 1019 Hz to more than 1024 Hz.
29
Q
- Wave
A
- A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another.
