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6th grade - Heat, Light and Sound

Terms in this set (21)

absorption
taking in or swallowing up energy
angle of reflection
the angle at which light bounces off a surface
thermal conductor
a substance that is able to transfer heat energy easily - aluminum, steel, & copper
medium
any substance through which a wave is transmitted
prism
a clear glass or plastic triangular shape that breaks light into the color spectrum
visible spectrum
the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, arranged in order of their wavelengths and seen by the human eye when white light passes through a prism (Roy G. Biv)
angle of incidence
the angle at which light strikes a surface
conduction
heat moving between two objects because they are touching
convection
heat transfer in liquids and gases as molecules circulate in currents
pitch
how high or low a musical note sounds
radiation
the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
refraction
when light bends as it travels from one medium to another
vibration
a rapid back and forth movement
reflection
when rays of light or heat are reflected, or bounce off other objects (scattered) example: sky is blue
infrared light
longer wavelength than visible light and is most often detected by its heating effect
ultraviolet light
shorter wavelength than visible light and is responsible for sunburns. Most of these wavelengths are blocked by the ozone layer of Earth's atmosphere
Energy transfer methods
thermal, mechanical, electrical, and electromagnetic waves
thermal energy transfer
by the collision of atoms within the material - heat flows from warm objects to cooler objects to achieve equilibrium
conduction
the transfer of heat through solids
thermal insulator
materials that limit transfer of heat energy
electrical insulator
materials that limits flow of electric current - nonmetallic solids such as rubber, glass, porcelain, and ceramic)
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