Waves Physics Keywords

Question	Answer
frequency	the number of waves passing a point each second
time period	the length of time it takes one wave to pass a given point
wavelength	the distance from a point on one wave to the same point on the next wave
amplitude	the maximum distance of a point on the wave away from it's rest position
velocity	the speed of a wave in the direction it is travelling
transverse	a wave that oscillates at a right angle
longitudinal	a wave that flows in one direction
a cycle	one complete oscillation
reflected	when a wave 'bounces' off something
refracted	the wave passes into the new material but changes the direction it is travelling
transmitted	the wave passes through the material and is not absorbed or reflected
ray diagrams	a way of modelling what happens when light is reflected/refracted
normal	a line drawn at right angles to the barrier
absorbed	the wave disappears as the energy is carried into the material
law of reflection	when waves are reflected the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence
total internal reflection	if the angle of incidence increases further the light is completely reflected inside the glass
electromagnetic wave	caused by vibrating electrons and magnetic fields

Resource summary

	Created by Aafreen Butt about 5 years ago