Mechanical Waves
Mechanical waves require this to travel through.
Medium
Unlike mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves can travel through this.
Empty space (vacuum)
This is the term for how high or low a sound seems to your ears.
Pitch
Light waves are a type of this kind of wave that can travel through space.
Electromagnetic Waves
This type of signal varies continuously, like the smooth curve of a wave.
Analog
This type of wave moves the medium’s particles back and forth in the same direction as the wave travels.
Longitudinal waves
The full range of all electromagnetic wave frequencies and wavelengths is called this.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The number of vibrations per second determines this property of a sound wave, measured in hertz (Hz).
Frequency
When light bounces off a surface, it is called this.
Reflection
This vintage audio format uses analog signals to store sound.
Vinyl records/cassette tapes
This type of wave moves the medium’s particles up and down at right angles to the wave’s direction.
Transverse waves
These waves are used to cook food and send data to your phone.
Microwaves
This is the maximum distance particles in a medium move from their rest position when a sound wave passes through.
Amplitude
When light bends as it passes from one medium to another, it undergoes this process.
Refraction
When noise interferes with an analog signal, this happens to the sound or picture quality.
Degrades
The highest point of a transverse wave is called this.
Crest
EM waves can travel at this speed.
300,000 km/s
Sound waves need this to travel—unlike light waves.
Medium
This part of the electromagnetic spectrum is visible to the human eye.
Visible light
In an analog audio signal, amplitude represents this aspect of sound.
Loudness
The distance between two consecutive crests or troughs of a wave is called this.
Wavelength
These waves have the shortest wavelengths and highest energy in the electromagnetic spectrum.
Gamma Rays
The phenomenon that causes a siren’s pitch to change as it moves toward or away from you is known as this.
Doppler Effect
When light waves overlap and combine to make a brighter or darker pattern, it’s called this phenomenon.
Interference
Digital signals are represented using only these two numbers.
0's and 1's (binary digits)