Wave Basics
A disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another.
What type of energy do sound waves transfer?
Mechanical energy
What type of wave needs a medium to travel?
Mechanical wave
The highest point of a transverse wave is called what?
Crest
What type of wave lets you hear your favorite song?
Sound wave
Do waves transfer matter?
No, only energy moves through the wave.
When you drop a rock in water, what kind of energy transfer happens?
Kinetic energy causes water waves that transfer energy outward.
What type of wave does not need a medium?
Electromagnetic wave.
The lowest point of a transverse wave is called what?
Trough
What type of wave allows you to see light?
Electromagnetic waves
What do all waves carry?
Energy
What happens to energy as a wave travels farther from its source?
It spreads out and decreases.
What type of mechanical wave moves the medium parallel to the direction of the wave?
Longitudinal wave.
The distance between one crest and the next is called what?
Wavelength
When you feel warmth from the Sun, what kind of wave is it?
Infrared wave
What are the two main types of waves?
Mechanical & Electromagnetic
What type of wave can travel through empty space?
Electromagnetic waves
What type moves the medium up and down or side to side?
Transverse wave
What is the number of waves that pass a point in one second?
Frequency
What kind of waves do doctors use to look at bones?
X Rays
What is the medium through which a mechanical wave travels?
Matter (solid, liquid, or gas).
True or False: In a wave, particles of matter move from one place to another.
False. They vibrate in place.
Give an example of an electromagnetic wave.
Light, X-ray, radio wave, etc.
What is the height of a wave from its rest position?
Amplitude
What kind of wave helps send text messages or Wi-Fi signals?
Radio/ Microwave