Sound Waves
Vibration
A rapid, back-and-forth motion that occurs in solids, liquids, or gas.
Medium
A material in which a wave travels
Diffraction
the change in direction of a wave when it travels by the edge of an object or through an opening
Wavelength
The distance between a point on one wave and the nearest point just like it
Resonance
is an increase in amplitude that occurs when an object vibrating at its natural frequency absorbs energy from a nearby object vibrating at the same frequency
sound waves
a longitudinal wave that can only travel through matter
Compression
A region of longitudinal wave where the particles in the medium are closest together
collects sounds
The outer ear
Frequency
The ______ of sound is the number of wavelengths that pass by a point each second.
Absorption
the transfer of energy by a wave to the medium through which it travels
Vibration
The energy carried by a sound wave is caused by
rarefaction
A region of a longitudinal wave where the particles are farthest apart
Amplitude
the maximum distance the particles in a medium move from their rest positions as the wave passes through the medium
Pitch
The perception of how high or low a sound seems
Transmission
The passage of light through an object
Amplifies sound
The middle ear
Density
How closely the particles are packed
Intensity
the amount of energy that passes through a square meter of space in one second
Doppler effect
The change of pitch when a sound source is moving in relation to an observer
Reflection
The bouncing of a wave off a surface
contains small, fluid-filled chambers called the cochlea
The inner ear
Sound energy transfers more slowly in a
Gas
Db (decibel)
the unit of measure that describes the intensity or loudness of sound
Interference
...occurs when waves that overlap combine, forming a new wave.
refraction
occurs when a wave changes direction because its speed changes