Waves

Question 1

Wave

Answer 1

A repeating disturbance or movement that transfers energy through matter or space.

Question 2

Medium

Answer 2

A solid, a liquid, a gas, or a combination of these.

Question 3

Transverse wave

Answer 3

Matter in the medium moves back and forth at right angles to the direction that the wave travels.

Question 4

Compressional wave

Answer 4

Matter in the medium moves back and forth along the same direction that the wave travels.

Question 5

Sound waves

Answer 5

Sound waves are compressional waves. The compressions travel through the air to make a wave.

Question 6

Water waves

Answer 6

Causes water to move back and forth, as well as up and down. Water is pushed back and forth to form the crests and troughs.

Question 7

Seismic waves

Answer 7

A combination of compressional and traverse waves.

Question 8

Crests

Answer 8

High point in a transverse wave.

Question 9

Troughs

Answer 9

The low point of a transverse wave.

Question 10

Rarefaction

Answer 10

The less-dense region of a compressional wave is called a rarefaction.

Question 11

Wavelength

Answer 11

The distance between one point on a wave and the nearest point just like it.

Question 12

Frequency

Answer 12

Frequency of a wave is the number of wavelengths that pass a fixed point each second.

Question 13

Amplitude

Answer 13

The energy carried by a wave.

Question 14

Refraction

Answer 14

The bending of a wave caused by the change in its speed as it moves from one medium to another.

Question 15

Diffraction

Answer 15

This occurs when an object causes a wave to change direction and bend after they strike an island.

Question 16

Interference

Answer 16

When two or more waves overlap and combine to form a new wave.

Question 17

Standing wave

Answer 17

A special type of wave pattern that forms when waves equal in wavelength and amplitude, but traveling in opposite direction, continuously interfere with each other.

Question 18

Resonance

Answer 18

The process by which an object is made to vibrate by absorbing energy at its natural frequencies is called resonance.

Question 19

Eardrum

Answer 19

Tough membrane about .1 mm thick.

Question 20

Cochlea

Answer 20

a spiral-shaped structure that is filled with liquid and contains tiny hair cells.

Question 21

Decibel

Answer 21

A scale for sound intensity.

Question 21

Intensity

Answer 21

Amount of energy that flows through a certain area in a specific amount of time.

Question 22

Loudness

Answer 22

Human perception of sound intensity.

Question 23

Pitch

Answer 23

How low or high a sound seems to be.

Question 24

Ultrasonic

Answer 24

Sound frequencies above 20,000 Hz.

Question 25

Doppler effect

Answer 25

The change in pitch or wave frequency due to a moving wave source.

Question 26

Music

Answer 26

Sounds that are deliberately used in a regular pattern.

Question 27

Sound Quality

Answer 27

The differences among sounds of the same pitch and loudness.

Question 28

Overtone

Answer 28

A vibration whose frequency is a multiple of the fundamental frequency.

Question 29

Resonator

Answer 29

A sound when the air inside of a hollow chamber filled with air it vibrates.

Question 30

Acoustics

Answer 30

The study of sound.

Question 31

Echolocation

Answer 31

Process of locating objects by emitting sounds and interpreting the sound waves that are reflected back.

Question 32

Sonar

Answer 32

A system that uses the reflection of underwater sound waves to detect objects.