Waves Unit Study Guide
A1 Waves
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Waves are created when a source of energy causes a ____disturbance or vibration_.
What is a repeated back and forth or up and down motion called? Vibration
What do waves carry? Energy
What do waves carry energy through? Empty Space or a Medium
What is a medium? A material through which waves can travel; can be solid, liquid, or a gas
Do the particles move with the wave when they travel through a medium? No, just energy is
transferred
7. What type of waves can travel through empty space? Electromagnetic (light)
8. Can mechanical waves travel through empty space? No
9. Water waves, sound waves, and seismic waves are all what type of wave? Mechanical Waves
10. Can you hear sound in space? Why or why not? No, sound waves cannot travel through empty
space
11. What is a type of mechanical wave in which particles of matter in the medium vibrate by
pushing together and moving apart? Compressional/Longitudinal Waves
12. What is the area called where the wave is pushed together? Compression
13. What is the area called where spaces show the wave moving apart? Rarefaction
14. What is a type of mechanical wave in which particles of matter vibrate by moving back and
forth at right angles? Transverse Waves
15. What is the highest point of a transverse wave called? Crest
16. What is the lowest part of a transverse wave called? Trough
A2 Properties of Waves
17. What is frequency? A measure of how many waves pass a point in a certain amount of time
18. If frequency is high then what do you know about the waves? The closer the waves are
together and the greater the energy carried by the waves
19. What is amplitude? A measure of the distance between a line through the middle of a wave and
a crest or trough
20. The greater the force, the ___greater___ the amplitude of the wave.
21. In a transverse wave, the higher the wave, the ____higher___ the amplitude.
22. Sounds with greater amplitude will be __louder___.
23. What does wavelength measure? A measure of the distance from the crest on one wave to the
crest on the very next wave
24. A higher frequency causes a ___shorter___ wavelength.
25. What does speed measure? A measure of the distance a wave travels in an amount of time
26. Do all waves travel at the same speed in empty space? Yes
Waves Unit Study Guide
A. Draw and Label the parts of a transverse wave.
A3 Behavior of Waves
27. What is refraction? The bending of waves caused by changes in their speed as the pass from
one medium to another
28. This can make images appear larger as the light waves bend. Convex Lens
29. Define prisms/diffraction gratings. Separate white light into its different components or colors
by bending
30. What is reflection? The bouncing back of a wave when it meets a surface or boundary that does
not absorb the entire wave’s length
31. What kind of surfaces reflect light? Plane mirrors and other smooth surfaces
32. Can all waves be reflected? Yes
33. When does transmission occur? Occurs when waves pass through a given point or medium
34. What is the difference among transparent, opaque, and translucent materials? Transparent =
allow most light that strike them to pass through them; Opaque = allow no light waves to be
transmitted through them; Translucent = transmit some light, but cause it to be scattered so
now clear image is seen
35. When does absorption occur? Occurs when certain frequencies of light occurs when the energy
is not transferred through, or reflected by, the given medium
36. What happens when an object absorbs a wavelength of electromagnetic radiation? Becomes
warmed and converts the absorbed energy to infrared radiation
A4 Intersecting Waves
37. How can interference be constructive? A crest will interfere with another crest constructively to
produce a larger crest and a trough will interfere to produce a larger trough
38. How can interference be destructive? A crest will interfere with a trough to lesson or cancel the
displacement of each
39. How is sound changed when sound waves interfere with each other? Destructive = quieter;
Constructive = louder
A5 How Humans See Color
40. What happens in the cornea? Light is refracted – first step
41. After the cornea, where do the light rays go to be refracted for the second time? Transparent
Lens
Waves Unit Study Guide
42. Where are light waves focused? Retina
43. What sends impulses to the brain to perceive sight? Optic Nerve
44. What happens with light waves when you see a certain color, such as orange? Why do you see
orange? Material does not absorb a certain frequency of light, that frequency is reflected and is
the color you see, such as orange
45. If all colors of light are reflected by the material, you will see ____white___.
46. If all colors of light are absorbed by the material, you will see ___black____.
47. The color that we see depends on…? The color of light that is shined on the object and the color
of light that is reflected by the object
48. What do color filters do? Allow only certain colors of light to pass/transmit through them, they
absorb or reflect all other colors
49. If you were to look through a blue color filter, what color would you see? Blue
A6 Waves & Technology (Electromagnetic Spectrum)
50. What is the electromagnetic spectrum? Depicts the range of all possible frequencies of
electromagnetic radiation
51. How much of the electromagnetic spectrum can we see? Visible Light only
52. Radio waves are…? Classed as low frequency, high wavelength energy waves
53. Gamma waves are…? Classed as high frequency, low wavelength energy waves
54. What is a more reliable way to transmit information? Digitized signals (sent as wave pulses)