Medium
any substance that a wave moves through
Pitch
the highness or lowness of a sound
Reflection
the bouncing back of a wave after it strikes a barrier
Refraction
the bending of a light wave as it enters a new medium at an angle at different speeds
Transmission
the passage of a wave through a medium
Absorption
the disappearance of a wave into a medium
Mechanical Wave
waves that transfer energy through matter, require a medium
Crest
the highest point of a wave
Trough
the lowest point of a wave
How would you measure the wavelength of a transverse wave?
the distance from one wave crest to the very next crest
How would you measure the wavelength of a longitudinal wave?
the distance from the middle of one compression to the middle of the next compression
How would you measure the amplitude of a transverse wave?
the distance between a line through the middle of a wave and a crest or trough
How would you measure the amplitude of a longitudinal wave?
how tight the compressions are in a medium
How do you measure the frequency of a wave?
the number of waves passing a fixed point in a certain amount of time
How are frequency, wavelength and pitch related?
As frequency increases, wavelength decreases, and pitch increases.
How are amplitude and frequency related?
Changes in amplitude do not change the frequency or wavelength. For example, if I am speaking in a low pitch, I can be making a low pitched loud sound or a low pitched soft sound.
What changes the amplitude of a wave?
Energy!
What is a transverse wave?
the direction the wave moves is perpendicular to the direction of the disturbance
What is a longitudinal wave?
the wave travels in the same direction as the disturbance
A wave moving towards you with a higher frequency will produce a ________ pitch sound.
higher
A wave moving towards you with a lower frequency will produce a ________ pitch sound.
lower
Why do objects appear the color they are?
Objects have the color of the wavelength of light they REFLECT. For example, if an object is blue, that means that it reflects the blue wavelength and absorbs the other visible light wavelenths.
What must occur in order for you to see something?
Light waves must reflect off and/or absorb into of the object. If all light transmits, the object is see through.
Why does refraction occur?
When light hits different mediums at an angle, they pass through the mediums at different speeds.
What produces transverse waves?
light
What produces longitudinal waves?
sound
What is an example of a sound wave being reflected?
an echo
What is an example of a light wave being reflected?
seeing your reflection in a mirror
What causes sound?
Compressions in molecules caused by vibrations
Can sound travel through a vacuum?
No. Sound must travel through a medium (matter) and there is no matter in vacuums.
What is a wave?
a disturbance that transmits energy through matter and space
What can sound travel through?
Matter - anything that has mass and volume
If a wave is created in the middle of the ocean, does the water from the middle of the ocean move all the way to the shore with the wave?
No! The energy is what transfers!
What color has the longest wavelength?
Red
What makes the different types of waves in the EM spectrum?
Their wavelengths and frequencies
What color has the highest frequency?
Violet
What happens to visible light if the frequency is changed?
The color changes
What happens to sound if the frequency is changed?
The pitch changes
Light travels through Transparent Object #1 at a slow speed. Light travels through Transparent Object #2 at a medium speed. Light travels through Transparent Object #1 at a high speed. Between which 2 objects would light refract the most?
Between Object #1 and #3 because there is a bigger difference in the speed light can travel
If the amplitude of a sound wave increases, the volume of the sound
increases.
If the amplitude of a light wave increases, the brightness of the light
increases.