Sound waves Flashcards
(26 cards)
Mechanical Wave
A wave that requires a medium through which to travel.
Longitudinal Wave
A wave that moves the medium in a direction parallel to the direction in which the wave travels.
Transverse Wave
A wave that moves the medium at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels.
Medium
The material through which a wave travels.
Crest
The highest part of a transverse wave.
Trough
The lowest part of a transverse wave.
Compression
The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together.
Rarefaction
The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are far apart
Amplitude
The height of a transverse wave from the center to a crest or trough.
Loudness
Perception of the energy of a sound.
Pitch
A description of how a sound is perceived as high or low.
Frequency
The number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time.
Echo
a sound or series of sounds caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener.
Echolocation
The use of reflected sound waves to determine distances or to locate objects.
Doppler Effect
The change in frequency of a wave as its source moves in relation to an observer.
Decibel
A unit used to compare the loudness of different sounds.
Hertz
Unit of measurement for frequency.
Diffraction
The bending or spreading of waves as they move around a barrier or pass through an opening.
Node
A point of zero amplitude on a standing wave.
Sonar
A system that Uses reflected sound waves to locate and determine the distance to objects under water.
Vacuum
A place that is empty of all matters.
Vibration
A repeated back-and-forth or up-and-down motion.
Sound
vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person’s or animal’s ear.
Wave
A disturbance that transfers energy from place to place.
