Vocabulary
What is Energy?
Ability to cause change
What happens to a boat when the surface waves transfer energy to it?
Boat bobs up and down but does not move forward
If two waves are traveling at the same speed, which one has higher frequency — the one with shorter wavelength or longer wavelength?
The one with shorter wavelength.
Which type of EM wave has the longest wavelength?
Radio Waves
A wave’s wavelength gets longer. What happens to its energy?
Its energy decreases.
What is Wavelength?
The distance between wave peaks
How can you tell which wave has higher energy?
Greater amplitude + frequency
Which color of visible light has the longest wavelength?
Which EM wave is responsible for causing sunburn?
When waves travel at the same speed, how are wavelength and frequency related?
When waves travel at the same speed, wavelength and frequency have an inverse relationship.
What is a transverse wave?
Why do higher-energy waves require more shielding?
They can pass through solid material.
How can a wave be measured?
To measure a wave, we look at its highest point (crest) and lowest point (trough). The distance from one trough to the next is called its wavelength. You can time the number of crests that happen in one minute. That will tell you the frequency of a wave.
Why are X-rays useful in medicine?
They can pass through soft tissue but not bone.
Do higher frequency waves carry more energy than lower frequency waves of the same amplitude?
Yes!
Energy in a wave depends on how fast it vibrates.
High frequency = more vibrations per second → more energy
Low frequency = fewer vibrations per second → less energy
Even if the waves are the same “height” (amplitude), the one vibrating faster has more energy.
What is x-ray?
A high-energy electromagnetic wave that has a slightly shorter wavelength and higher frequency than an ultraviolet wave
If a wave has high frequency, does it have high or low energy?
High energy, because when waves are close together, they vibrate faster, causing more energy
Which wave has a longer wavelength: a low-pitch sound or a high-pitch sound?
Low-pitch sound.
Low pitch = low frequency = longer wavelength.
Arrange these from lowest energy to highest: infrared, gamma rays, ultraviolet, visible light.
Infrared → Visible light → Ultraviolet → Gamma rays
True or False: A wave with a longer wavelength has higher energy than a wave with a shorter wavelength.
False
Shorter wavelength → higher frequency → higher energy.
What is fiber optics?
The process of transmission of information using light pulse along optical fibers
Energy cannot be_______ or ________.
created or destroyed
Two ocean waves are moving at the same speed. Wave A has waves that are far apart; Wave B has waves close together. Which has the longer wavelength?
Wave A.
Why are gamma rays dangerous while radio waves are safe?
Gamma rays carry extremely high energy that can damage cells. Radio waves don’t.
If a wave’s frequency doubles, what happens to its wavelength?
It becomes half as long