-the cyclical motion of an object about an equilibrium point
Mechanical Wave
-the transfer of energy through a material due to vibration
Medium
-the material that permits the transmission of energy through vibrations
Translational Molecular Motion
-the straight-line motion of a molecule; this motion is typical of gasses because the particles in liquids and solids are not free to move in this manner
Transverse Wave
-a wave in which particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the flow of energy
Compression
-the region in a longitudinal wave in which the medium's particles are closer together
Rarefraction
-the region in a longitudinal wave in which the medium's particles are farther apart
Sound
-a form of energy produced by rapidly vibrating objects detectable by sensory organs such as the ear
Amplitude
-the maximum displacement of a wave from its equilibrium point
Waveform
-the shape of a wave when graphed
Crest
-the maximum point of a transverse wave
Trough
-the minimum point of a transverse wave
Wavelength (λ)
-the distance between two similar points in successive identical cycles in a wave, such as from crest to crest or trough to trough
Phase
-in a continuous transverse or longitudinal wave, the x-coordinate of a unique point of the wave
Phase Shift
-a shift of an entire wave along the x-axis with respect to an otherwise identical wave
In Phase
-the state of two identical waves that have the same phase shift
Out Of Phase
-the state of two identical waves that have different phase shifts
Frequency (f)
-the number of complete cycles that occur in unit time, usually 1 s; measured in hertz (Hz)
Period (T)
-the time for a vibrating particle to complete one cycle
Wave Speed (v)
-the rate at which a wave is travelling through a medium; also a measure of how fast the energy in the wave is moving
Simple Harmonic Motion
-any motion that repeats itself at regular intervals
Universal Wave Equation
v=fλ
Audible Sound Wave
-sound wave in the range of human hearing, 20 Hz to 20kHz
Infrasonic Wave
-sound wave with a frequency below 20 Hz
Ultrasonic Wave
-sound wave with a frequency above 20kHz
Echo
-the sound energy reflected off a surface back to the producer of the sound
Speed Of Sound Equation
v=331.4m/s + (0.606m/s/°C)T
Mach Number (M)
-the ratio of the airspeed of an object to the local speed of sound
Pressure (p)
-the force per unit area
Sound Intensity
-the amount of sound energy being transferred per unit area; unit W/m2
Decibel (dB)
-the unit of sound level used to describe sound intensity level