Unit 8 Vocabulary: Waves

4. change in direction of a wave as it moves from one medium to another
7. oscillations are perpendicular to direction of the waves (string, water)
10. oscillations are parallel to the direction of the wave (slinky, sound waves)
11. the bending of a wave around a small obstacle and formation of new wave fronts as it expands outward from a small opening
14. the interference of two or more waves of equal frequency and phase, resulting in their mutual reinforcement and producing a single amplitude equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the individual waves
15. linear distance between identical points on successive waves
16. the state of a system in which an abnormally large vibration is produced in response to an external stimulus, occurring when the frequency of the stimulus is the same, or nearly the same, as the natural vibration frequency of the system
17. time required to complete a cycle of motion

1. the point to which all of the light of a converging lens is directed toward
2. a disturbance or variation which travels through a medium
3. the interference of two waves of equal frequency and opposite phase, resulting in their cancellation where the negative displacement of one always coincides with the positive displacement of the other
5. movement that occurs in a repeating and predictable pattern (e.g., up and down, back and forth, round and round)
6. wave propagated at the speed of light resulting from oscillations in electrical charge and current; electromagnetic waves include light as well as other types of radiation
8. distance from the equilibrium line of a wave to the point of maximum vertical displacement (crest or trough)
9. matter with consistent composition that can propagate a wave
12. number of complete cycles or oscillations per second
13. change in direction of a wave resulting from interaction with a boundary