Types of waves
What are mechanical waves?
Waves that require a medium to travel
What is wavelength?
The distance between two consecutive crest or troughs of a wave.
What is a solid?
Sound waves that travel fastest through the state of matter.
What is the visible spectrum?
The range of electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye.
What is interference?
The superposition of two or more waves resulting in a new wave pattern.
What are transverse waves?
Waves in which the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
What is frequency?
The number of complete waves that pass a point in a given time.
What is pitch?
The perceived highness or lowness of a sound.
What is refraction?
The phenomenon where light bends as it passes from medium to another
What is diffraction?
When waves pass through a small opening, they spread out due to this phenomenon.
What are surface waves?
A wave that combines properties of both transverse and longitudinal waves, often seen in seismic activity.
What is amplitude?
The maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its equilibrium position.
What is diffraction?
The bending of sound waves around obstacles or through openings.
What is dispersion?
The separation of white light into its component colors.
What is constructive interference?
The type of interference that occurs when two waves combine to create a wave with larger amplitude.
What are electromagnetic waves?
A form of radiation that can travel through the universe.
What is period?
The time it takes for one complete wave to pass a point.
What are beats?
The increase of amplitude of a sound when two waves slightly different different frequencies interfere.
What is the unit of measurement for the frequency of a light wave?
Hertz (Hz)
What is reflection?
The points in a standing wave where the amplitude is zero.
What is a standing wave?
A wave that remains in a constant position with crests and troughs in the same location.
What is wave speed?
The product of frequency and wavelength is equal to this wave property.
What is the Doppler effect?
The effect where the perceived frequency of a sound changes depending on the relative motion of the source and observer.
What is the law of reflection?
The principle stating that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.
What is resonance?
The condition where the frequency of a driving force matches the natural frequency of on object, leading to a large amplitude.