VOCABULARY - add terms & definitions on 3 X 5 CARDS. add drawings to show wave or parts of waves. (see below for some definitions; other definitions will be found in WAVES blog posts)
- WAVE
- CREST
- TROUGHT
- VIBRATIONAL WAVE
- equilibrium or rest position
- DISTURBANCE
- PULSE
- MEDIUM
- transverse waves
- longitudinal waves
- surface waves.
- electromagnetic waves
- mechanical waves
- translational motion
- restoring force
- FREQUENCY
- SPEED
- AMPLITUDE
- HERTZ
- sound
Wave Vocabulary
Amplitude of a transverse wave: The vertical distance between the line of origin and the crest of the wave. The higher the amplitude, the more energy sent to the medium.
Compression in a longitudinal wave: The area where the medium is pushed together. Compressions in a longitudinal wave compare to the crests of a transverse wave.
Crest: The highest point of the wave above the line of origin.
Energy: The capacity of a physical system to perform work or the ability to make something happen.
Frequency: The number of wavelengths that pass a point in a given amount of time. The unit for the frequency is the hertz (Hz).
Hertz (Hz): The number of wavelengths that pass a point in a given amount of time (such as a second). The more waves that pass through the medium in the same amount of time, the more energy that is released.
Line of origin: The original position of the medium before a transverse wave moves through it.
Longitudinal wave: A wave such as a sound wave that is moving in the same direction in which the particles of the medium vibrate. Mechanical longitudinal waves have been also referred to as compressional waves or pressure waves.
Medium: Matter that is made up of molecules and takes up space.
Period: Time it takes for a wave to repeat itself.
Periodic motion: Motion that recurs over and over and the period of time required for each recurrence remains the same.
Pulse: To undergo a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by brief, sudden changes in a quantity.
Rarefaction in a longitudinal wave: The area where the medium spreads apart. Rarefaction in a longitudinal wave compare to the troughs of a transverse wave.
Transfer (wave): The process of transferring energy from one body to another.
Transverse wave: A wave that makes the medium through which it travels vibrate in a direction at right angles to the direction of its travel
Trough of a transverse wave: The lowest point of the wave beneath the line of origin.
Wave: A disturbance that transfers energy through matter or through space or a disturbance in the medium.
Wavelength of a transverse wave: The distance between two neighboring crests or between two troughs.