A Repeating Disturbance That Transfers Energy Through Matter Or Space

Question: Wave

Answer: A repeating disturbance or movement that transfers energy through matter or space. Waves carry energy without transporting matter from place to place.

Question: medium

Answer: The matter waves travel through. Can be solid, liquid, gas, or combination of these. Not all waves need a medium (space).

Question: Mechanical waves

Answer: Waves that travel through matter are called mechanical waves. Two kinds: Transverse waves and compressional waves.

Question: Transverse waves

Answer: Where matter in the medium moves back and forth at right angles to the direction the wave travels. Example: a wave in the ocean.

Question: Compressional waves

Answer: Where matter in the medium moves back and forth in the same direction that a wave travels. Example: A coiled spring.

Question: Sound waves

Answer: Compressional wave where air molecules are pushed together by vibrations. The compressions are similar to the spring coil.

Question: Water waves

Answer: Not a pure transverse wave. The water moves up and down as the wave goes by, but also moves back and forth a little of the distance the wave is moving.

Question: Seismic waves

Answer: A combination of transverse and compression waves caused when the Earth’s crust breaks and vibrates. Earthquake!

Question: Crest

Answer: The high point of a transverse wave

Question: Trough

Answer: The low point of a transverse wave.