Waves Vocabulary Flashcards
Frequency
The rage of vibration is called the frequency of the sound.Frequency in a unit called a hertz,which is defined by vibrations per second.
Period
The period of a wave is the time it takes for two successive crest to pass a fixed point.
Wavelength
The distance between one peak and the next on a wave.
Crest
The highest point on a wave.
Trough
The lowest point on a wave.
Medium
An intervening substance,as air,through which a force acts or an effect is produced.
Amplitude
Height or reflection of a wave.
Longitudinal wave
A wave that vibrates the same direction as it travels ;also called a compression wave.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Light is a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Waves at the beginning of the spectrum have long wavelength.
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 are squeezed by external forces directed toward one another to put stress on the rock, acting to decrease its volume or shorten its dimensions
Rarefraction
The decrease in density of a medium in a congressional wave or longitudinal wave.
Reflection
to strike a surface and bounce back in the opposite direction (related word: reflection)
Refraction
to bend light as it passes through a material (related word: refraction)
Diffraction
The slight bending of light as moving through or around an object.
