1. Waves/Sound/Light/ Color Notes
Conceptual Physics
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2. Wave – a rhythmic disturbance that carries energy through matter or space

3. Types of Waves
Transverse Wave - a wave that vibrates perpendicular to the direction of the wave’s motion
Longitudinal Wave - a wave that vibrates parallel to the direction of the wave’s motion
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4. Characteristics of Waves
Crest - the high points of a wave
Trough - the low points of a wave
Amplitude(A) - the distance from the midpoint of a wave to its crest or trough
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5. More Characteristics of Waves
Wavelength (λ) - the distance between two consecutive points on a wave (ex: crest to crest)
Frequency (f) - the number of waves that pass a given point in one second, measured in Hertz(Hz)
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6. More Characteristics of Waves
Rarefaction - part of a longitudinal wave where the molecules are spread farther apart
Compression - part of a longitudinal wave where the molecules are closer together
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8. Speed of a wave : v=f λ (velocity= frequencyXwavelength)
Interference of waves - when two or more waves combine they combine to form a new wave
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9. Types of Interference:
Constructive Interference - when two or more waves combine to make a bigger wave than the original ones
Destructive Interference - when two or more waves combine to make a smaller wave than the original ones
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10. Constructive Interference
Destructive Interference

11. Standing Waves - waves that have stationary parts
Nodes - points on a wave that do not move
Antinodes - points on a wave that have the greatest amplitude (crests or troughs)
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13. Sound - longitudinal waves produced by the vibration of objects, the speed of sound depends on the elasticity of the medium it travels through and the temperature of the medium it travels through
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14. Sound (again) - the more elastic and warmer the medium the faster sound will travel, speed of sound in room temperature air is 340 m/s, sound travels faster in liquids than in gases and faster in solids than in liquids
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15. Light - an electromagnetic transverse wave that stimulates the retina of the eye; it travels in a straight line at 3X108 m/s; each color has a different wavelength with violet having the shortest wavelength and red having the longest; it can travel through space
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16. White - the reflection of all colors together
Visible Spectrum - the part of light we can see; made of seven colors ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)
White - the reflection of all colors together
Black - absorption of all colors together
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18. Primary Colors of Light - red, green, blue (when you mix these you get white light)
Primary Colors of Pigments(things that absorb certain colors and transmit others) - yellow, cyan, magenta (when you mix these colors you get black)
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19. Polarization - when light can only travel/vibrate in one direction
Refraction - the bending of waves as they go from one medium to another
Diffraction - the bending of waves around objects
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20. Reflection - when waves bounce back off an object
a) regular reflection - when light bounces back in parallel beams as it off a mirror
b) diffuse reflection - when light bounces back randomly and no image is formed as off a wall
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21. Mirrors - reflect light
Law of Reflection - the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection
Lenses - refract light
Mirrors - reflect light
Prisms - separate light into the visible spectrum by refraction
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22. a)opaque - no light gets through
Types of Objects:
a)opaque - no light gets through
b)translucent - some light gets through but no image
c)transparent - all light gets through so an image is seen
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