Wave Basics
This is the highest point of a wave
What is the crest?
This property of sound is determined by its frequency
What is pitch?
This happens when light bounces off of a surface.
What is reflection?
This type of electromagnetic wave has the longest wavelength.
What are radio waves?
A classroom has a strong echo that makes the teacher's voice hard to understand. Name one type of material you could add to reduce the echo.
Any sound-absorbing material such as carpet, curtains, acoustic panels, etc.
This is the distance from one crest to the next
What is wavelength?
A sound wave has a greater amplitude, therefore, how will it sound?
It will sound louder (greater volume)
This happens when light changes direction as it moves from air into water.
What is refraction?
These electromagnetic waves are used in many remore controls and thermal cameras to detect heat signatures.
What are infrared waves?
Why do you see lightning before you hear thunder, even though they happen nearly at the same time?
Light travels much faster than sound.
This property measures the distance from a wave's resting position to its crest or trough.
What is amplitude?
Unlike light, sound needs this to travel from one place to another.
What is a medium?
It absorbs all colors of visible light except for green, which is reflected to our eyes.
Can electromagnetic waves can travel through the vacuum of space?
This device uses sound waves and echoes to help people or animals detect objects.
What is sonar (or echolocation)?
Name the type of wave in which the particles move perpendicular to the direction the wave travels.
What is a transverse wave?
A submarine sends out a sound pulse and detects its return. Explain how this helps the submarine locate an object.
The sound reflects off the object and returns as an echo. The amount of time it takes to return helps determine the object's distance.
Explain why a straw appears to be bent when it is placed in a glass of water? (More than just one word)
This is an example of refraction, which is when light changes speed/direction as it passes through different mediums.
Put these electromagnetic waves in order from longest to shortest wavelength: gamma rays, visible light, microwaves.
Microwaves, visible light, gamma rays
A concert hall needs to prevent echoes while still allowing the audience to hear the performers. Explain how both reflection and absorption can work together to achieve this.
Reflective surfaces can direct sound out towards the audience. While sound-absorbing materials can reduce excessive reflections (echoes).
In a longitudinal wave, particles oscillate ____________.
What is "in the same direction that the wave travels"?
Two sounds travel through the same medium. Sound A has a higher frequency than Sound B. They both have the same amplitude. Compare their pitch and their volume.
Sound A has a higher pitch. The sounds have the same volume since they have the same amplitude.
How might a telescope use light to see distant planets more clearly?
Lenses refract light and bring it together to form an image. The lenses produce a magnified view of the distant object.
An electromagnetic wave has a shorter wavelength than visible light. Identify two possible types of waves this could be and give an example of each.
Ultraviolet rays: a sunburn
X-rays: images of bones
Gamma rays: cancer treatments or nuclear power plants
A student claims "All waves transfer matter from one place to another". Why do you think this claim is incorrect?
Waves transfer energy, not necessarily matter. Sound transfers energy through vibrating particles, while light transfers energy though electromagnetic fields. The particles in a medium vibrate around their positions rather than actually traveling along with the wave.