Intro to Waves
What is a wave?
A repeating disturbance that transfers energy from one palce to another.
What is a mechanical wave?
A wave that travels through a medium due to the motion of matter, like sound
What type of energy travels as waves?
Light
What is the medium in a wave?
A material through which the energy of the wave moves, such as air, water, or steel.
What is a sound wave?
A longitudinal mechanical wave caused by the vibration of particles.
Define electromagnetic waves
Waves made up of changing electric and magnetic fields
Define a wave pulse
Energy transferred only one time, like plucking a guitar string.
Explain absorption in waves
A medium converting the energy of a mechanical wave into other forms, gaining thermal energy.
What is the speed of light in a vacuum?
300,000,000 m/s
What is a transverse wave?
A wave where particles vibrate perpendicularly to the direction the wave travels
Give an example of a medium
water, air, or steel
What is refraction
The bending of light waves as they pass from one medium into another
What is amplitude?
A measure of how far a particle in the medium moves away from its normal rest position.
What is the term used to pluralize a medium?
media
What does color addition mean?
Combining colors of light to see different colors