Behaviors of Light and Waves

Front

What is absorption?

Back

The process by which energy is transferred to the material it encounters.

Front

What is refraction?

Back

The bending of waves as they enter a new medium at an angle, caused by a change in speed.

Front

What is a mechanical wave?

Back

A wave that requires a medium through which to travel.

Front

What is a wave?

Back

A disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another.

Front

What is amplitude?

Back

The distance from the highest point (crest) to the lowest point (trough) of a wave.

Front

What is the speed of light in a vacuum?

Back

Approximately 299,792 kilometers per second (km/s).

Front

What is reflection?

Back

The bouncing back of a wave when it hits a surface that it cannot pass through.

Front

What is wavelength?

Back

The distance between two consecutive crests or troughs in a wave.

Front

What is frequency?

Back

The number of waves that pass a point in one second, measured in hertz (Hz).

Front

What is the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves?

Back

Transverse waves move perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer, while longitudinal waves move parallel to the direction of energy transfer.