Parts of a Wave
Any oscillation (back-and-forth or up-and-down motion) that travels from one place to another with a certain velocity.
wave
Waves that can only travel through a physical medium (matter).
mechanical waves
Waves move ______, not matter.
energy
A signal in which continuous data has been translated to a series of noncontinuous digits.
digital signal
Waves hitting matter and bouncing off.
reflection
The peak, or highest point, of a transverse wave.
crest
A type of longitudinal wave. Vibrations of air particles that transmit sound.
Sound waves
The distance a wave moves up or down from its resting position.
amplitude
A signal conveyed by continuous data, often in the form of a wave.
analog signal
Energy of the wave passes through the medium.
transmittance
The valley, or lowest point, of a transverse wave.
trough
When the oscillation of a wave is perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels (up-and-down motion) it is this type of wave.
Transverse wave
The number of wave vibrations produced in one second.
frequency
The string of 1s and 0s that control a computer.
binary code
The transfer of the energy of the wave to the medium it comes into contact with.
Absorption
The distance from any point on one wave to the same point on the next wave (from crest to crest or trough to trough).
wavelength
When the disturbance moves parallel to the direction of the wave. Put simply: When a wave moves forward and back.
Longitudinal wave
Frequency is measured in this.
Hertz (Hz)
Data in which each point can have a slightly different value, like reading temperature from a glass thermometer.
continuous
A unit of measurement 1 million times smaller than a millimeter.
nanometer
The resting point is the position a wave would sit if no vibration occurred. This is an "even" or "equal" position.
______________ position
equilibrium
Visible light, microwaves, radio, infrared, UV, X-rays, and gammy rays are all examples of these types of waves.
electromagnetic waves
Mechanical waves require a physical ________ in order to transmit energy.
medium
Analog signals can be converted to digital through a process called _____.
sampling
Which properties of waves make up color?
wavelength and frequenct