Types of Waves
What type of wave moves the medium up and down at right angles to the direction of the wave?
Transverse wave
What is the highest point of a transverse wave called?
Crest
What is the distance between one point on a wave and the exact same place on the next wave?
Wavelength
What is the equation for calculating wave velocity?
v = f × λ (velocity = frequency × wavelength)
Why doesn’t sound travel in space?
No medium in space; sound is mechanical
What type of wave needs a medium to travel?
Mechanical wave; examples: sound, water, seismic
In a longitudinal wave, what do we call the places where particles are close together?
Compression
Frequency is measured in what unit, and what does it represent?
Hertz (Hz); number of waves per second
If a wave has a frequency of 5 Hz and a wavelength of 10 m, what is its velocity?
50 m/s
What type of wave can travel through space without a medium?
Electromagnetic wave; examples: light, radio waves, X-rays
In a longitudinal wave, what do we call the places where particles are spread apart?
Rarefaction
Which two properties determine the amplitude of a longitudinal wave?
How close together compressions are and how far apart rarefactions are
Which two factors affect the velocity of a wave in a medium?
Density and temperature