What is a Wave?
A wave is a disturbance that carries ________, not matter
Energy
The matter that a wave travels through is called a ________.
Hint: It’s the stuff that waves move through, like water, air, or rope.
Answer: Medium
Which type of wave moves matter up and down, perpendicular to the wave?
Hint: Think about shaking a rope up and down.
Answer: Transverse
A single disturbance traveling through a medium is called a ________.
Hint: Only one bump on a rope or one push through a slinky.
Answer: Wave pulse
True or False – Waves carry matter from one place to another.
Answer: False
What is the medium for a sound wave?
Hint: Think about the air around you when someone talks or music plays.
Answer: Air
Which type of wave moves matter back and forth, parallel to the wave?
Hint: Think about sound moving through air—how do the air particles move?
Answer: Longitudinal
When a rope makes repeated S-shapes, this is called a ________.
Hint: The pattern repeats multiple times.
Answer: Wave cycle / periodic wave
If you see a rope move when you shake it, what is actually moving across the rope?
Answer: Energy
What is the medium for an ocean wave?
Hint: Think about what is moving when waves crash on the beach.
Answer: Water
Ocean waves are an example of what type of wave?
Hint: Particles in the water move in circles.
Answer: Surface wave
How many wave cycles are in a rope that you shake repeatedly?
Hint: The motion keeps repeating—more than one.
Answer: Multiple
Name two examples of waves you see in real life.
Answer: Ocean waves, sound waves (also acceptable: rope waves, flag waves)
When you shake a jump rope to make a wave, what is the medium?
Hint: What is being moved up and down while energy travels along it?
Answer: Rope
Give one example of a transverse wave you can see in real life.
Hint: Something that moves up and down, like a rope or a flag.
Answer: Shaking a rope, waving a flag
True or False – A wave pulse repeats many times.
Hint: A pulse is only one disturbance.
Answer: False
Explain in one sentence why a wave is not the same as the matter it moves through.
Hint: Remember what happens to the medium (water, air, rope) when a wave passes.
Answer: Because the medium mostly stays in place while energy passes through it.
Explain why the medium is important for a mechanical wave.
Hint: Think about what would happen if there was no air, water, or rope.
Answer: The wave needs a medium to transfer energy; without it, the wave cannot move.
Describe how matter moves in a surface wave.
Hint: Think about how a floating bottle moves in the ocean waves.
Answer: In circular motion, sometimes perpendicular and sometimes parallel to the wave.
Explain the difference between a wave pulse and a wave cycle in one sentence.
Hint: Compare one single bump to many repeated bumps.
Answer: A wave pulse is a single movement, while a wave cycle is a repeating pattern of pulses.