Waves Test Flashcards
(37 cards)
What are waves?
any disturbance that transmits energy through matter or space. (only carry energy, not matter)
What are mechanical waves?
waves that do require a medium to travel. they only travel through the medium, the wave does not take the medium with it.
What is a medium?
the mode of transportation for a wave. (solid, liquid, gas or combo)
What is a transverse wave?
particle movement is perpendicular to the direction of the wave. (have crests and troughs)
crest
uppermost part of a transverse wave
trough
lowest part of transverse wave
amplitude
height of a wave from the rest line/rest position
wavelength
length of a wave; distance between 2 successive points on a wave
what does lambda stand for?
wavelength
frequency
how many times a wave repeats itself in 1 second, (Hertz)
what is a longitudinal wave?
particle moment is parallel to the direction of the wave (slinky, sound waves)
What do longitudinal waves have? (not crests and troughs)
compressions and rarefactions
compression
squishes
rarefaction
stretches
What are Electromagnetic waves?
- waves that make up the electromagnetic spectrum.
- does not require a medium
what is sound?
a longitudinal, vibratory disturbance that travels in a medium and can be heard by the human ear
Does sound or light travel faster?
light
What does sound travel fastest through?
(in order) solids, then liquids, then gases
what is pitch?
our way of differentiating between frequencies
High pitch= ?
high frequency
low pitch= ?
low frequency
what is loudness?
our perception of energy in a sound
What are forced vibrations?
forcing the vibration onto the board (music box demo)
what are sympathetic vibrations?
frequency of A and B are equal; when A vibrates, it causes B to vibrate too (tuning fork)
