SOUND and LIGHT UNIT VOCABULARY
UNITS OF MEASURMENT
hertz- the unit of measurement used to determine pitch
decibels – the unit of measurement used to determine loudness
WAVES
transverse wave – when particles move in an up and down motion; light waves
longitudinal wave – when particles move in a back and forth motion; sound waves
seismic waves – waves made by the movement of energy through the earth’s layers; caused by
earthquake and volcanic activity
crest – the highest point of a longitudinal wave
trough – the lowest point of a longitudinal wave
wavelength – the measurement of distance between two identical points
frequency – the number of waves in a given amount of time
compression – a region where wave particles are bunched together
rarefaction – a region where wave particles are farther apart
LIGHT
reflection – bouncing off a surface
refraction – the bending of light when it passes through different mediums
angle of incidence – the angle at which light hits an object
visible spectrum – the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum which humans are able to see
transparent – light can pass through
translucent – some light can pass through
opaque – no light passes though
SOUND
oscillate – back and forth movment in the direction that the wave is travelling
echo – a reflection of a sound wave that hits a surface it cannot pass through
pitch – the number of times an object vibrates per unit of time