Sound Vocabulary

Front

Compression

Back

Region of a longitudinal wave where the particles in the medium are closest together.

Front

Longitudinal Wave

Back

The particles in the material that carries the wave move back and forth along the direction that the wave travels.

Front

Medium

Back

Material in which a wave travels.

Front

Rarefaction

Back

Region of a longitudinal wave where the particles are farthest apart.

Front

Sound Wave

Back

A longitudinal wave that can only travel through matter.

Front

Vibration

Back

Rapid back-and-forth motion that can occur in solids, liquids, or gases.

Front

Amplitude

Back

Maximum distance the particles in a medium move from their rest positions as a longitudinal wave passes through the medium.

Front

Doppler Effect

Back

Change of pitch when a sound source is moving in relation to an observer.

Front

Frequency

Back

Number of waves that pass by a point each second.

Front

Intensity

Back

Amount of sound energy that passes through a square meter of space in one second.