Interactive Science Waves Vocabulary

Terms in this set (25)

Amplitude
The height of a transverse wave from the center to a crest or trough.
Antinode
A point of maximum amplitude on a standing wave.
Compression
Stress that squeezes rock until it folds or breaks.
Constructive Interference
The interference that occurs when two waves combine to make a wave with an amplitude larger than the amplitude of either of the individual waves.
Crest
The highest part of a transverse wave.
Destructive Interference
The interference that occurs when two waves combine to make with an amplitude smaller than the amplitude of either of the individual waves.
Diffraction
the bending of waves around a barrier or through an opening
Energy
the ability to do work or cause change
Frequency
the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time
Hertz
the unit of frequency
Interference
the interaction between waves that meet
Longitudinal Wave
A wave that moves the medium parallel to the direction in which the wave travels
Mechanical Wave
a wave that requires a medium through which to travel
Medium
the material through which a wave travels
Node
a point of zero amplitude on a standing wave
Rarefaction
the part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are far apart
Reflection
the bouncing back of an object or a wave when the ray hits a surface that it does not go through
Refraction
The bending of waves as they enter a new medium at an angle, caused by a change in speed.
Resonance
The increase in the amplitude of a vibration that occurs when external vibrations match an object's natural frequency.
Standing wave
A wave that appears to stand in one place even though it is two waves interfering as they pass through each other.
Transverse Wave
A wave that moves the medium at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels.
Trough
The lowest, the lowest part of a transverse wave
Vibration
A repeated back-and-forth or up-and-down motion
Wave
A disturbance that transfers energy from place to place
Wavelength
the distance between the crest of one wave and the crest of the next wave
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