| Term | Definition |
|---|
| wave | a disturbance that propagates through a medium |
| pulse wave | a wave that consists of a few disturbances |
| periodic wave | the motions are repeated at regular intervals |
| simple harmonic motion | motion in which the acceleration is proportional to the displacement from an equilibrium position and is directed toward that position |
| wavelength | the distance between any two successive identical points on wave |
| frequency | the number of complete cycles per unit of time |
| period | the time for one complete cycle |
| amplitude | the maximum displacement of a wave as measured from its equilibrium or undisturbed position |
| transverse wave | a wave in chich the vibrations are at right angles to the direction of propagation |
| longitudinal wave | a wave in chich the vibrations are parallel to the direction of propagation of the wave |
| rectlinear propagation | the propagation of the advancing straight wave is perpendicular to the wave front |
| circular propagation | the propagation of the advancing circular wave lies along radial lines away from the center of disturbance |
| incidence | an approaching wave |
| reflection | the return of a wave from the boundary of a medium |
| angle of incidence | the angle between the incident ray and the normal drawn to the point of incidence |
| angle of reflection | the angle between the reflected ray and the normal drawn to the point of incidence |
| ray | a line drawn in the direction perpendicular to the wavefront |
| wavefront | the portions of the medium surface in which particles are in the same motion |
| refraction | the bending of a wave disturbance as it basses obliquely from one medium to another |
| diffraction | the spreading of a wave disturbance into a region behind an obstruction |
| intensity | the power transferred across a unit area perpendicular to the direction of energy flow |
| damping | the reduction in the amplitude of a wave due to the dissipation of wave energy |
| wave crest | the top part of a wave |
| wave trough | the botton part of a wave |
| sound | the series of disturbances in matter to which the human ear is sensitive. |
| audio range | the audio range of frequencies between 20 to 20000 hertz |
| ultrasonic | vibrations in matter above 20000 hertz |
| infrasonic | vibrations in matter below 20 hertz |
| sonic spectrum | the frequency range of sound |
| superposition | combining the displacement of two or more waves vectorially to produce a resultant displacement |
| standing wave | the resultant of two wave trains of the same wavelength, frequency and amplitude, traveling in opposite directions through the same medium |
| interference | refers to what happens when two waves pass through the same region of space at the same time |
| constructive interference | when two standing waves approach each other on the same side of the equilibrium line, collide, separate, and continue to move in the same direction as before the collision |
| destructive interference | when two standing waves approach each other on different sides of the equilibrium line, collide, separate, and continue to move in the same direction as before the collision |
| beat | the interference effect resulting from the superposition of two waves of slightly diferent frequencies, propagating in the same direction. the amplitude of the resultant wave varies with time |
| node | a point of no disturbance in a standing wave |
| loop | a midpoint of a vibrating segment of a standing wave |
| resonance | the inducing of vibrations of a natural rate by a vibrating source having the same frequency |
| fundamental | the lowest frequency of sound produced by an instrument |
| harmonics | the fundamental and the tones frequencies are whole number multiples of the fundamentals |
| rarefraction | the region of a longitudinal wave in which vibrating particles are farther apart than their equilibrium distance |
| compression | the region of a longitudinal wave in which the distance separating the vibrating particles is less than their equilibrium distance |
| angle of refraction | the angle between the refracted ray and the normal drawn to the point of refraction |
| pitch | the characteristic of sound that depends on the frequency that the ear recieves |
| loudness | the sensation that depends pricipally on the intensity of sound waves reaching the ear |
| quality | the property of sound waves that depends on the number of harmonics and their prominence |
| law of reflection | when a wave disturbance is reflected at the boundary of a transmitting medium, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection |
| doppler effect | the change observed in the frequency with which a wave from a given source reaches an observer when the source and the observer are in relative motion |
| thermodynamics | the study of quantitative relationships between heat and other forms of energy |
| system | is that part of the entire universe which we have selected for consideration |
| surroundings | everything else in the universe |
| state function | variables used to define the conditions of the system |
| open system | mass may enter or leave |
| closed system | no mass may enter or leave |
| isolated system | if no energy passes across the boundaries |
| nonisolated system | if energy does pass across the boundaries |
| exothermic | energy flows out of the system |
| endothermic | energy flows into the system |
| internal energy | the total potential and kinetic energy of the particles of a substance |
| enthalpy | the internal energy and any energy due to the expansion possibilities of the system |
| entropy | the property that describes the disorder of a system |
| zeroth law of thermodynamics | two systems individually in thermal equilibrium with a third system are in thermal equilibrium with eachother |
| first law of thermodynamics | the quantity of energy supplied to any system in the form of heat is equal to the work done by the system plus the change in internal energy of the system |
| second law of thermodynamics | heat flows naturally from a hot object to a cold object; heat will not flow spontaneously from a cold object to a hot object. no device is possible whose sole effect is to transform a given amount of heat completely into work. the total entropy of any system plus that of its surroundings increases as a result of any natural process |
| third law of thermodynamics | it is not possible to lower the temperature of any system to absolute zero in a finite number of states, that is absolute zero is unattainable |
| adiabatic process | a process in which no heat is added to or removed from a system |
| isobaric process | a process that takes place at a constant pressure |
| isochoric process | a process that takes place at a constant volume |
| isothermal process | a process that takes place at a constant temperature |
| production of sound | compression of waves propagate as longitudinal disturbances, the disturbances consist of compression and rarefaction, these disturbances give rise to elastic forces in the propagating medium, the particles of the medium aquire energy from the vibrating source and enter the vibrational mode themselves, the wave energy is passed along to adjacent particles as the period waves travel through the medium |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace