Physics: Waves: Key terms

a wave in which the oscillations are at right-angles to the direction of energy transfer, e.g. water waves

a wave in which the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer, e.g. sound waves

to vibrate / swing from side to side with a regular frequency

the number of times that a wave / vibration repeats itself in a specified time period

the maximum displacement that any particle in a wave achieves from its undisturbed position, measured in metres (m)

the distance from one point on a wave to the equivalent point on the next wave, measured in metres (m), represented by the symbol l

the time taken for a wave to complete one oscillation; the time it takes for a particle in the wave to move backwards and forwards once around its undisturbed position

a continuous spectrum of waves formed by electric and magnetic fields, ranging from high frequency gamma rays to low frequency radio waves

to take in and retain (all or some) incident radiated energy

when waves are sent out from a source or pass through a material

when a wave meets a boundary between two different materials and is bounced back

when a wave meets a boundary between two different materials and changes direction

a measure of the extent to which light is refracted by a material

a material or substance

at right-angles to / perpendicular to

electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range 0.3 to 0.001 metres, used in satellite communication and cooking

the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with a longer wavelength than light but a shorter wavelength than radio waves

the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths shorter than light but longer than X-rays

the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths shorter than that of ultraviolet radiation but longer than gamma rays

high frequency, short wavelength electromagnetic waves; a type of nuclear radiation, emitted from a nucleus

refers to radiation that can cause atoms to lose or gain atoms, becoming ions