Waves Vocab

4. a model of light that explains why light carries energy, reflects, refracts, and can be absorbed or transmitted similarly to a mechanical wave
7. the size of the disturbance a wave causes in its medium
10. the range of frequencies and wavelengths of all light waves
12. the matter that a mechanical wave travels through
13. when a wave transfers energy to the medium it is passing through
14. the ability to move objects or cause a change
16. the part of a communications device that detects radio waves and changes them into other types of waves
17. the number of wave cycles that pass a certain point in a given period of time; often expressed in wave cycles per second, or hertz (Hz)
19. a small portion of matter

1. a wave in which the matter moves in a pattern perpendicular to the direction that the wave travels
2. a part of the electromagnetic spectrum in which light waves within a certain range of frequencies can be detected by the human eye
3. a pattern that uses only two values, such as 1s and 0s, to represent information
5. the distance between the start of one wave cycle and the start of the next wave cycle
6. describes a way of sending or storing information using a quantity that can vary continuously
8. a wave in which the matter moves in a pattern parallel to the direction that the wave travels
9. describes a way of sending or storing information using a quantity that can only have specific values
11. a wave in which particles of matter move back and forth
15. when a wave bends as it is transmitted from one medium into another medium
18. when a wave reaches a boundary between two media and bounces back