Light Waves Vocab
the bouncing back of an object or a wave when it hits a surface through which it cannot pass
What is reflection?
On a summer day, why is blacktop so much hotter than the dirt next to it?
When a material absorbs solar (light) energy, some of that light energy is transformed into heat energy, and the material warms up. That's why the blacktop will feel hot if you walk across it on a sunny day.
the height of a transverse wave from the center to the crest or trough.
What is amplitude?
What does sound need to travel?
What is medium?
describes your awareness of the energy of a sound (volume)
What is Loudness?
The process of one material (absorbate) being retained by another (absorbent)
What is absorption?
What three colors make up light?
Red, blue, and green
A slinky represents this type of wave.
What is longitudinal?
How are frequency and wavelength related?
Higher frequency = shorter wavelength
Lower frequency = longer wavelength
the quality of a sound determined by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone
What is pitch?
when waves pass through a given point or mediu
What is trasmission?
When all three colors are reflected, you see ___
What is white?
A sound wave cannot travel in this because there are no molecules to transfer the energy.
What is a vacuum?
What kind of frequency would a high energy have?
What is high frequency
the distance between two corresponding parts of a wave (crest to crest OR trough to trough).
What is wavelength?
the bending of light waves as they enter a new medium at an angle, caused by a change in speed
What is refraction?
When all three colors are absorbed, you see ___
What is black?
It depends on the energy of the disturbance that causes the wave. A wave caused by a disturbance with more energy has greater ____
What is amplitude?
Higher frequency=higher pitch
the highest part of the transverse wave.
When light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence (incoming light) is equal to the angle of reflection (outgoing light)
What is the Law of Reflection?
What are the 4 conditions that need to be met in order to see an object?
What is a light source, your working eyes, a direct and unblocked path, and an object
What happens to the amplitude as time increases in a reverberation?
The amplitude will decrease until it levels out
What is the relationship between amplitude and loudness?
greater amplitude=louder sound
the lowest part of the transverse wave.
What is trough?