Waves and Wave Properties - Middle School

Review this list and wave goodbye to any confusion you might have about waves. Learn about types of waves, wave properties like amplitude and frequency, and different kinds of wave motion, including reflection, refraction, and diffraction. You're sure to make waves once you master these words.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. amplitude
    the maximum displacement of a periodic wave
  2. angle of reflection
    the angle between a reflected ray and a line perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the point of incidence
  3. compression
    the process of becoming smaller or pressed together
  4. crest
    the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
  5. diffraction
    process by which light changes passing through a narrow slit
  6. Doppler effect
    change in the apparent frequency of a wave as observer and source move toward or away from each other
  7. electric
    using or providing the flow of charge through a conductor
  8. electromagnetic
    pertaining to or exhibiting magnetism produced by electric charge in motion
  9. electromagnetic spectrum
    the entire frequency range of electromagnetic waves
  10. electromagnetic wave
    radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge
  11. emission
    the act of causing to flow forth
  12. energy
    any source of usable power
  13. frequency
    the number of occurrences within a given time period
  14. hertz
    unit of frequency with a periodic interval of one second
  15. intensity
    the amount of energy transmitted
  16. light
    electromagnetic radiation that can produce visual sensation
  17. loudness
    the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction)
  18. magnetic
    of or relating to or caused by attraction for iron
  19. medium
    an intervening substance through which something is achieved
  20. overtone
    a harmonic with a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency
  21. peak
    the highest point of something
  22. period
    the interval to complete one cycle of a repeating phenomenon
  23. periodic motion
    motion that recurs over and over and the period of time required for each recurrence remains the same
  24. photon
    a tiny bundle of matter that transmits light
  25. pitch
    the high or low quality of a sound
  26. radiation
    energy transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles
  27. radio wave
    an electromagnetic wave with a wavelength between 0.5 cm to 30,000 m
  28. rarefaction
    a decrease in the density of something
  29. reflection
    the phenomenon of a wave being thrown back from a surface
  30. refraction
    the change in direction of a propagating wave
  31. sound
    mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium
  32. sound wave
    (acoustics) a wave that transmits sound
  33. standing wave
    a wave (as a sound wave in a chamber or an electromagnetic wave in a transmission line) in which the ratio of its instantaneous amplitude at one point to that at any other point does not vary with time
  34. superposition
    the placement of one thing on top of another
  35. transverse
    extending or lying across, in a crosswise direction
  36. vacuum
    the absence of matter
  37. vibration
    (physics) a regular periodic variation in value about a mean
  38. wave
    (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
  39. wavelength
    distance between successive crests of a periodic disturbance
Created on Fri Feb 17 09:26:51 EST 2017 (updated Fri Mar 31 10:40:24 EDT 2017)

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