Name __________________________________________________ Date___________________ Period ___________
WAVES QUIZ
A WAVE is a disturbance that transfers energy from place to place. Some need a MEDIUM in which
to travel from place to place while others do not. Those who need a medium are called MECHANICAL waves.
Two types of mechanical waves are TRANSVERSE and LONGITUDINAL.
LONGITUDINAL waves move the particles of the medium parallel to the direction in which the wave
travels. Parts of the wave that are close together are called COMPRESSIONS and when they are spread apart
they are called RARFACTIONS.
TRANSVERSE waves move the medium at right angles to the direction in which the waves travels. The
highest point of the wave is called the CREST and the lowest is called the TROUGH.
According to the Law of REFECTION, a wave will bounce at an angle that equals its angle of incidence.
DIFFRACTION occurs when a wave moves around a barrier or through an opening in a barrier.
INTERFERENCE is the term used when two waves meet. They can either form a larger wave which is
called CONSTRUCTIVE INTERFERENCE or they can pass each other which are called DESTRUCTIVE
INTERFERENCE.
Waves that do not need a medium are called ELECTROMAGNETIC waves.
On the back of this paper draw a longitudinal wave and a transverse wave. Label the amplitude, frequency
and wavelength.
WORD BANK:
trough
transverse
Electromagnetic
longitudinal
law of reflection
crest
compression
interference
destructive interference
law of incidence
mechanical
reflection
diffraction
rarefaction
medium