General Wave Info
Wave Characteristics
Sound
Light
Colors
100
What is a periodic disturbance that transfers energy?
a wave
100
What is the highest point of a wave?
crest
100
What type of wave are sound waves?
longitudinal (mechanical)
100
What type of waves are light waves?
electromagnetic
100
What is the bouncing back of a light wave after it hits a surface?
reflection
200

What does a wave travel through?

medium

200
What is the lowest point of a wave?
trough
200

What is the measure of how high or how low a wave sounds?

pitch

200
What is the bending of a light wave as it passes from one medium into a different medium?
refraction
200
What is the speed that waves travel at?
frequency
300

What are waves the require a medium (such as sound)?

mechanical waves

300
What is the distance from a point on one wave to the same point on the next wave?
wavelength
300
What determines how loud or soft a sound is?
amplitude
300

What is it called when a light wave bounces off of a mirror?

reflection

300
What determines what color of visible light we see?
the frequency of the wave
400
What are waves where the particles move perpendicular to the direction of motion?
transverse waves
400
What is the distance (how high or how low) particles move from the baseline of the wave?
amplitude
400
What determines the pitch of a sound?
the frequency of the wave
400

What medium does light need to travel through?

Empty Space (vacuum)
400

What angle do waves reflect off?

The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.

500

What is the medium for seismic waves (earthquakes)?

earth/dirt

500
What is the time it takes for a wave to complete one cycle?
period
500

What causes sound waves?

vibrations

500

Why does light have a "dual nature?"

it can behave as waves or particles

500

Waves bending around a corner from where they originated is called what?

Diffraction
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