Waves and Electromagnetism - Middle School Physical Science

Card 1 of 340

0
Didn't Know
Knew It
0
1 of 2019 left
Question

What is a "trough" in a simple model of a wave?

Tap to reveal answer

Answer

The answer is "the lowest point on a wave"

Energy takes two forms, particles and waves. Waves can be absorbed, reflected, refracted or even diffracted depending on the medium they interact with. It’s important to understand waves because we interact with them all the time. Think about microwaves, x-ray machines, eyeglasses, tsunamis in the ocean, radios and speakers. The properties of a simple wave are:

Wavelength: The distance between one point on a wave and the exact same place on the next wave

Wave frequency:the number of cycles an object or wave goes through in 1 second

Crest: the highest point on a wave

Trough: the lowest point on a wave

Period: the amount of time for the harmonic motion to repeat itself, or for the object to go one full cycle

Amplitude: The distance from the equilibrium (or center) point of the wave to either its lowest or highest point

Speed: wavelength (in m) x frequency (in Hz). It varies in solids, liquids and gases.

← Didn't Know|Knew It →