Waves Vocabulary Words – Flashcards
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Wave
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a disturbance that transfers energy form one place to another without requiring matter to move the entire distance
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Pitch
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the quality of highness or lowness of a sound
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Amplitude
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the maximum distance that a disturbance causes a medium to move from its rest position; the distance between a crest or trough of a wave and line through the center of a wave
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Crest
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the highest point, or peak, of a wave
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Trough
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the lowest point, or valley, of a wave
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Frequency
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the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time, usually one second; the number of cycles per unit time
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Wave Speed
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Transverse Wave
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a type of wave in which the disturbance moves at right angles, or perpendicular, to the direction in which the wave travels
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Longitudinal Wave
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a type of wave in which the disturbance moves in the same direction that the wave travels
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Radio wave
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the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with the lowest frequencies
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Microwave
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part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with higher frequencies then radio waves, but lower frequencies than infrared waves
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Ultraviolet light
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the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with frequencies higher than those of visible light and lower than those of x-rays
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Visible light
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the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of the waves detectable by the human eye
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Infrared light
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part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with frequencies between those of microwaves and visible light
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X-rays
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the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with high frequencies and high energies; electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from more than 10 16 hertz to more than 10 21 hertz
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Gamma rays
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part of the electromagnetic spectrum that consists of waves with the highest frequencies
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Electromagnetic Spectrum
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the range of all electromagnetic frequencies
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Medium
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a substance through which a wave moves
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Mechanical Wave
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a wave, such as a sound wave or a seismic wave, that transfers kinetic energy through matter
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Reflection
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the bouncing back of a wave after it strikes a barrier
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Refraction
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the bending of a wave as it crosses the boundary between two mediums at an angle other than 90 degrees
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Diffraction
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the spreading out of waves as they pass through an opening or around the edges of an obstacle
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Interference
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the meeting and combining of waves; the adding or subtracting of wave amplitudes that occurs as waves overlap
