Vocabulary
The distance from the rest position to a crest or trough; measures how tall a wave appears.
What is amplitude?
This type of wave moves matter perpendicular to the wave's direction (examples: water waves, rope waves).
Answer: What is a transverse wave?
When you shake a slinky side-to-side, you create this type of wave.
Answer: What is a transverse wave?
Frequency is defined as the number of these that pass a point in a given time.
Answer: What are waves (or wave cycles)?
The fill-in-the-blank from Assess It! — "One type of wave is a (4) ______ wave, which moves perpendicular to the direction of the wave."
Answer: What is transverse?
High points of a transverse wave.
What are crests?
his wave type displaces matter in the same direction the wave travels; sound is an example.
Answer: What is a longitudinal wave?
When you give a quick push along the slinky's length, you create this type of wave.
Answer: What is a longitudinal pulse (or longitudinal wave)?
In the formula V=f×λV=f×λ, this symbol represents wavelength.
Answer: What is λ?
From the Assess It! diagram questions — If wavelength choices include 0.4 m0.4 m and 0.8 m0.8 m and the correct measured wavelength is the longer option, which letter corresponds to 0.8 m? (Adapt to the diagram context.)
Answer: What is the letter corresponding to 0.8 m?
The distance from one crest to the next corresponding point on the wave; often measured in meters
What is wavelength?
Name two real-world examples given for transverse and longitudinal waves from the text.
Answer: What are water waves and sound waves?
If you stand a float in the ocean and a wave passes, what happens to your position after the wave passes? (Use Read It! explanation.)
Answer: What is: You move briefly but return to your original position?
In the same formula, this symbol represents frequency and is measured in hertz.
Answer: What is f?
Explain how you would measure wavelength on a diagram (student-suitable explanation).
Answer: What is: Measure distance from one crest to the next crest (or trough to trough)?
Waves that transfer energy through matter (solid, liquid, or gas) and include sound and water waves.
What are mechanical waves?
The Read It! passage says waves transfer this but not matter.
Answer: What is energy?
In the slinky simulation tasks, students count how many times a red dot crosses the rest position in one second at 2 Hz frequency. How many crossings should they observe? (Think about cycles crossing a rest point.)
Answer: What is 4 crossings?
If frequency increases while wavelength stays the same, this happens to wave speed according to V=f×λV=f×λ.
Answer: What is: Wave speed increases?
Using the lab's recommended activities, name one challenge project students could do for the Challenge It! station.
Answer: What is: Create a flipbook / crossword / compare & contrast chart / flashcards?
In longitudinal waves, regions where particles are spread farther apart (the less dense areas).
Answer: What are rarefactions?
Explain how particle motion differs between transverse and longitudinal waves (one-sentence answer).
Answer: What is: In transverse waves particles move perpendicular to wave direction, while in longitudinal waves particles move parallel to wave direction?
Describe what happens to the slinky wave when amplitude is set to 0 mm, then increased to 40 mm (two-part).
Answer: What is: At 0 mm the wave is flat/no displacement; at 40 mm the wave has large displacement (higher amplitude)?
If the frequency is set to 5 Hz and observation time is 1 second, how many wave cycles occur? Also, how many times does a red dot cross the rest point assuming two crossings per cycle?
Answer: What is: 5 cycles; 10 crossings?
Design question — Given a slinky demonstration where frequency is doubled and amplitude is halved, predict qualitatively what students should observe about cycle rate and wave height.
Answer: What is: Cycle rate (frequency) increases (more waves per second) while wave height (amplitude) is reduced (smaller displacement)?