Waves

Wave

A disturbance that transfers energy from place to place

Why do you see lightning before you hear thunder?

Because light waves are faster than sound waves

Crest

The top of a wave (high point)

Nodes

A central or connecting point.

Standing Wave

A vibration of a system in which some particular points remain fixed while others between them vibrate with the maximum amplitude.

Mechanical Wave

A wave that propagates as an oscillation of matter, and therefore transfers energy through a medium.

Refraction

Change in direction of propagation of any wave as a result of its traveling at different speeds at different points along the wave front.

What happens when a wave hits a surface it cannot pass, but bounces back instead?

Diffractions

How are mechanical waves classified?

Mechanical waves are produced when a source of energy causes a medium to vibrate. Mechanical waves are classified by how they move. There are two types of mechanical waves: transverse waves and longitudinal waves. Transverse means "across." Longitude means "horizontal". Transverse waves move the particles of the medium perpendicular to the direction in which the waves are traveling. Longitudinal waves move the particles of the medium parallel to the direction in which the waves are traveling

Trough

The bottom of a wave (low point)

Interference

The combination of two or more electromagnetic waveforms to form a resultant wave in which the displacement is either reinforced or canceled.

Wavelength

The distance between crests and throughs

Frequency and measurement

The distance between waves Hertz

Destructive Interference

The interference of 2 waves of equal frequency and opposite phase

Constructive Interference

The interference of two or more waves of equal frequency and phase

Amplitude

The maximum extent of a vibration or oscillation, measured from the position of equilibrium. the maximum difference of an alternating electrical current or potential from the average value.

How does a wave travel through a medium?

The particles compress and refract, passing along the energy. It travels faster in mediums with particles that are more tightly packed eg. moves faster in metal as opposed to wood. Also, the more dense the air, the faster sound waves travel.

Antinodes

The position of maximum displacement in a standing wave system.

Diffraction

The process by which a beam of light or other system of waves is spread out as a result of passing through a narrow aperture or across an edge, typically accompanied by interference between the wave forms produced.

Resonance

The reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object.

The difference in particle motion of the mediums between transverse and longitudinal waves

Transverse: A transverse wave is a wave in which particles of the medium move in a direction perpendicular to the direction that the wave moves. Longitudinal: For a sound wave traveling through air, the vibrations of the particles are best described as longitudinal. Longitudinal waves are waves in which the motion of the individual particles of the medium is in a direction that is parallel to the direction of energy transport.

Speed of a wave

Wave speed is equal to the frequency times the wavelength