Waves, Light, and Sound
Terms
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- Medium
- Material through which waves travel (Mechancial waves require one, but electromagnetic don't)
- Waves
- Transfer of energy from one place to another that carry energy not matter
- Mechanical Waves
- Sound, ocean waves, waves in a rope
- Electromagnetic Waves
- Light, microwaves, x-rays, radio/televisions
- Longitudinal Waves
- Move back and forth
- Transverse Waves
- Move up and down
- Rest Position/ Line of Origin
- The center line of a wave
- Crest
- High point of a transverse wave
- Trough
- Low point of a transverse wave
- Wavelength
- Distance from one point on a wave to the same point on the next
- Amplitude
- Distance from a crest or trough to the line of origin
- Rarefaction
- Less dense area of a longitudinal wave
- Frequency
- # of waves that pass a given point at one second
- Hertz
- Measure of frequency
- Compression
- More dense area of a longitudinal wave
- Higher Frequency = __ Energy
- Greater
- Greater Amplitude = __ Energy
- Greater
- Speed of a Wave Formula
- Speed= Wavelength * Frequency (V=(upside down y)*F)
- Reflection
- Action of light/sound bouncing off a medium (mirror, echo)
- Refraction
- Bending of waves as they enter a new medium (Pencil appears broken in liquid)
- Diffraction
- Breaking of waves as they hit a new medium (Waves hitting long and splitting)
- Constructive Interference
- 2/more waves combine energy when they meet (Crests & troughs on same side of line of origin)
- Destructive Interference
- 2/more waves cancel out their energy when they meet (Crests & troughs on opposite sides of line of origin)
- Denser Medium with ___ Speed of a Wave
- Slower because has more inertia
- More Elastic Medium, ___ Speed of a Wave
- Faster
- Interference
- Interaction of 2/more waves that arrive at the same place at the same time
- Ultrasonic
- Sounds with a frequency above the range of human hearing (>20000 Hz)
- Light
- Form of visable energy that travels in transverse waves (Part of electromagnetic spectrum)
- Examples of Radiation w/ Lower Frequency than Light
- TV/Radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves
- Examples of Radiation w/ Higher Frequency
- X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet waves
- How Light Travels
- In 1 direction, 1 straigh line
- Transmitted Light
- Passes through an object (window, windshield)
- Absorbed Light
- Turns into heat energy (black clothes)
- Photons
- Light particles
- Opaque Object
- Light is completely blocked
- Transparent Object
- Light can go through
- Translucent Object
- Some light goes through, but not all
- Light Travels __ in Air than Water/Stone
- Faster because air is less dense
- Light Composed of:
- All rainbow colors (ROYGBIV)
- Sound
- Energy that starts with a vibration and travels in longitudinal waves through a medium
- Echolocation
- Process of finding differenct objects using sound waves
- Mach One
- Speed of sound
- Supersonic
- Anything that travels faster than the speed of sound in air
- Sound travels __ in Stone/Water than Air
- Faster because more dense so molecules collide more often and spread energy quicker
- Decibels (dB)
- Measure of amplitude (Determines loudness)