Term
| Displacement (for waves) * |
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Definition
| distance a particle moves in a particular direction from its mean (equilibrium) position |
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Definition
| maximum displacement from the mean position |
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Definition
| number of oscillations per unit time |
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Definition
| time taken for one complete oscillation (cycle) (OR: time taken for one cycle to pass a given point) |
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Term
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Definition
| difference in phase between two points |
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Term
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Definition
| motion that takes place when the acceleration of an object is proportional to its displacement from its equilibrium position and is always directed toward its equilibrium position (NOTE: this motion is defined by the equation a=-ω2x) |
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Term
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Definition
| involves a force that is always in the opposite direction to the direction of motion of the oscillating particle (NOTE: this force is a dissipative force) |
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Term
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Definition
| when a resistive force is applied to an oscillating system that causes the particle to return to zero displacement in a minimum amount of time |
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Term
| Natural Frequency of Vibration |
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Definition
| when a system is displaced from equilibrium and allowed to oscillate freely, it will do so at its natural frequency of vibration |
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Term
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Definition
| a system may be forced to oscillate at any given frequency by an outside driving force that is applied to it |
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Term
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Definition
| a transfer of energy in which a system is subject to an oscillating force that matches the natural frequency of the system resulting in a large amplitude of vibration |
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Term
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Definition
| single oscillation or disturbance in a medium |
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Term
| Continuous Progressive (Traveling) Wave * |
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Definition
| series of periodic pulses (NOTE: involves a transfer of energy) (NOTE: each point on the wave has the same amplitude) |
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Term
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Definition
| wave in which the direction of motion of the energy transfer (the wave) is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the particles of the medium (NOTE: light waves are transverse) (NOTE: transverse waves cannot be propagated in gases) |
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Term
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Definition
| wave in which the direction of motion of the energy transfer (the wave) is parallel to the direction of motion of the particles of the medium (NOTE: sound waves are longitudinal) |
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Term
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Definition
| collection of neighboring points on a wave that are in phase |
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Definition
| line drawn perpendicular to a wavefront indicating the direction of motion of the energy transfer |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| bottom of a transverse wave |
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Definition
| area of high pressure in a longitudinal wave |
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Term
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Definition
| area of low pressure (expansion) in a longitudinal wave |
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Term
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Definition
| shortest distance along the wave between two points in phase with one another (OR: distance traveled by the wave in one period) |
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Definition
| speed of transfer of the energy of the wave |
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Term
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Definition
| power received per unit area (NOTE: for a wave, its intensity is proportional to the square of its amplitude) |
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Term
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Definition
| The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection when both angles are measured with respect to the normal line |
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Term
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Definition
| The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant, for a given frequency. |
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Term
| Refractive Index (Index of Refraction) (n) * |
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Definition
| the ratio of the speed of the wave in the refracted medium to the speed of the wave in the incident medium (the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction) |
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Term
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Definition
| the bending of a wave around an obstacle or the spreading of a wave through an opening (NOTE: diffraction is only noticeable when the size of the opening is smaller than or on the same order of the size of the wavelength) |
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Term
| Principle of Superposition * |
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Definition
| When two waves meet, the resultant displacement is the vector sum of the displacements of the component waves. |
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Term
| Constructive Interference |
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Definition
| superposition of two waves which are in phase with each other |
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Definition
| superposition of two waves which are out of phase with each other |
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Term
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Definition
| difference in the distances two waves must travel from their sources to a given point |
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