waves Flashcards
(30 cards)
a disturbance that travels through a medium.
wave
a substance that can transmit energy.
medium
matter in the medium moves back and forth along right angles to the direction that the wave travels.
transverse wave
matter in the medium moves back and forth along the same direction that the wave travels.
compressional wave
a wave of compression and rarefaction, by which sound is propagated in an elastic medium such as air.
sound waves
a combination of longitudinal and transverse waves and are surface waves.
water waves
an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.
seismic waves
high point of a wave.
crests
low point of a wave.
troughs
the reduction of an items density, the opposite of compression.
rarefaction
the distance between successive crests of a wave especially points in a sound wave or electromagnetic wave.
wavelength
the rate at which a vibration occurs that constitutes a wave.
frequency
the greater the amplitude the more energy the wave has.
amplitude
the fact or phenomenon of light radio waves ECT. being deflected in passing obliquely through the interface between one medium and another or through a medium of varying density.
refraction
the process by which a beam of light or other system of waves is spread out as a result of passing through a narrow aperture or across an edge.
diffraction
the combination of 2 or more electromagnetic wave forms to form a resultant wave in which the displacement is either reinforced or canceled.
interference
a vibration of a system in which some particular points remain fixed while others between them vibrate with the maximum amplitude.
standing wave
the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of neighboring object.
resonance
the membrane of the middle ear, which vibrates in response to sound waves; the tympanic membrane.
eardrum
the spiral cavity of the inner ear containing the organ of corti, which produces nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations.
cochlea
the measurable amount of a property such as force brightness or a magnetic field.
intensity
the amount of noise something or someone makes.
loudness
a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale.
decibel
the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it;the degree of highness or lowness of tone.
pitch