wave - Transfers energy from one place to another., transverse wave - A wave that causes the particles within the medium it is travelling through to oscillate perpendicular (at right angles) to the direction of energy transfer. Transverse waves can travel through both a medium (e.g. solid, liquid, gas) and a vacuum., longitudinal wave - A wave that causes the particles within the medium it is travelling through to oscillate parallel to the direction of energy transfer. Longitudinal waves require a medium (e.g. solid, liquid, gas) through but cannot travel through a vacuum., equilibrium position - The rest position of the wave., crest - The highest point of a wave., trough - The lowest point of a wave., amplitude - |The vertical distance from the equilibrium position to either the crest or trough., frequency - The number of waves per second that passes a particular point., period - The time taken for one complete wave to pass a particular point., wavelength - The horizontal distance between identical points on consecutive waves e.g. from one crest to the next., wave speed - The distance a wave travels each second., diffraction - The effect of waves bending around an obstacle or spreading out after passing through a gap., the Electromagnetic Spectrum - This consists of a family of waves which all travel at the speed of light in a vacuum i.e. 3.0 x 108 ms-1. All the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum are transverse and are able to travel through a vacuum., normal - A dotted line that exists at 90o to the boundary between two mediums of differing optical density where the wave encounters the boundary., angle of incidence - The angle between the normal and the incident ray., angle of reflection - The angle between the normal and the reflected ray., angle of refraction - The angle between the normal and the refracted ray., critical angle - The angle of incidence that produces an angle of refraction of 90o., reflection - The deflection of a wave without any absorption of it taking place., refraction - The process whereby a wave experiences a change in speed (and wavelength) when it crosses a boundary between two mediums of differing optical density. If the angle of incidence is greater than 0o, the direction will also change., dispersion - The process whereby white light is separated into its component colours due to refraction as it passes from one optical medium to another at an angle of incidence greater than 0o. Different frequencies of light are refracted at different angles., total internal reflection - When a ray of light reaches the boundary to a less optically dense medium at an angle of incidence which exceeds the critical angle, the ray is completely reflected within the more optically dense medium., lenses - An object made of transparent material which is designed to refract waves., converging lens - A type of lens which is designed to cause rays to converge towards one another., diverging lens - A type of lens which is designed to cause rays to diverge away from one another., short sight - People who are able to see close objects clearly but objects in the distance appear blurred. Short sight is corrected using a concave lens., long sight - People who are able to see objects in the distance clearly but close objects appear blurred. Long sight is corrected using a convex lens.,

National 5 Physics Waves Definitions

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