Science
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Created by:
emilyjackson14 on May 7, 2012
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28 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 waves | rythmic disturbances that carry energy, not matter |
| medium | matter through which transverse waves travel |
| mechanical waves | use matter to transfer energy |
| transverse waves | wave energy causes medium to move up and down or back and forth at a right angle to the direction the wave travels (ex., water wave) |
| compressional waves | matter in the medium moves forward and backward along same direction the wave travels (ex., sound wave) |
| crest | high poin in transverse wave |
| trough | low point in transverse wave |
| compression | molecules closer together that help create a sound |
| rarefaction | molecules are farther apart and help create a sound |
| electromagnetic waves | waves that travle through space where there is no matter (ex., radio waves, infared waves [heat], visible light waves, ultraviolet waves [sunburn], X-ray waves, and gamma rays) |
| amplitude | transverse- measure of how high the crests are or how low the troughs are (one half distance between crest and trough) compressional-distance between particles in compression or rarefaction. |
| amplitude and energy | the larger the amplitude, the greater the energy |
| wavelength | distance from top of crest to the top of another distance from bottom of trough to the bottom of another distance from center of compression to another measured in meters (m) |
| frequency | number of wavelengths that pass a point in one given second measured in Hertz (Hz) |
| frequency and wavelength | smaller frequency-longer wavelength larger frequency-shorter wavelength |
| wavelength-color and pitch | color- blue has larger frquency and shorter wavelength than red pitch- frequency of sound increases, wavelength decreases |
| how the speed of different waves changes depending on the medium | mechanical-fastest in solids, slowest in gases electromagnetic- fastest in gases, slowest in soilds |
| reflection | wave strikes surface and bounces off |
| refraction | bending of waves as it changes medium |
| refraction and wave speed | speed of wave changes as it passes from one substance to another |
| the normal | line perpendicular to the water's surface |
| color and refraction | light rays refract as they enter and leave each water droplet. each color refracts from different angles because of their different wave lengths, so they separate into the colors of the visible spectrum. |
| diffraction | bending of light around a barrier |
| diffraction and wavelength | wave is diffracted more when its wavelength is similar in size to the barrier or opening |
| interference | the ability of two waves to combine and form a new wave when they overlap |
| construstive interference | waves meet-crests line up |
| destrusctive interference | waves meet-crest hits trough of other wave, wave is destroyed |
| color-rainbow | Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet |
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