Waves Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Waves?
Waves are a type of energy that moves through matter, most often in the form of sound or light. They have been studied for centuries and used to make discoveries about our world. Waves come in many shapes, sizes, and frequencies, and can travel through different mediums such as air, water, or even solid objects. Sound waves are an example of mechanical waves; they require a medium to travel through because they need something to push against while traveling. The frequency of sound waves determines their pitch; higher frequency sounds have shorter wavelengths and higher pitches than lower frequency sounds which have longer wavelengths and lower pitches. Sound travels faster through denser materials like steel than air which is why it’s easier to hear someone talking inside a car than outside one. Light waves are electromagnetic radiation with very short wavelengths that can travel at incredible speeds (300 million meters per second). Visible light makes up only a tiny fraction of all the types of electromagnetic radiation being emitted by stars and other celestial bodies in outer space but it’s what we use for seeing things on Earth. Like sound waves, different colors have different frequencies; red has the longest wavelength while violet has the shortest wavelength. Light also behaves differently when moving from one material into another, such as when entering water from air or vice versa this phenomenon is known as refraction which is how lenses work. Waves play an important role in everyday life whether you realize it or not: radio waves allow us to listen to music without having wires connecting speakers together; microwaves heat food quickly without transferring any heat energy into your kitchen; ultrasound machines help doctors see inside patients’ bodies more clearly by sending high-frequency pulses through them; even Wi-Fi relies on transmissions between two devices using special types of radio signals called ‘radiofrequency fields’. So next time you turn on your TV or take out your phone to check Facebook remember just how much science there is behind everything you do waves power so much more than meets the eye.