FOSS Waves Course Glossary NGSS Edition © 2019 Absorb

absorb to take in or soak up (SRB, IG)

acoustic engineer a person who creates designs to enhance the quality of sound within a space (SRB)

acoustics the study of sound (SRB)

amplitude the height of the peaks above the resting line in a wave (SRB, IG)

amplitude modulation (AM) the process of changing the amplitude of a carrier wave to transmit information (SRB, IG)

analog smooth and continuous data (SRB, IG)

angle of incidence the angle of an incoming beam (SRB, IG) angle of reflection the angle of a beam reflected off a surface (SRB, IG) antenna an instrument that converts electric current into radio waves, and vice versa (SRB) binary a number system which uses only two symbols (0 and 1) (SRB, IG) brainstorm a process in which people freely make up creative ideas (SRB, IG)

carrier wave an electromagnetic wave whose amplitude or frequency is modulated to transmit information (SRB, IG)

coherent light light with identical waves that travel together, so the peaks and troughs of the waves all line up (SRB)

color how different wavelengths of light are perceived (SRB, IG)

compression wave a wave in which the wave’s medium is compressed in the same direction as the movement of the wave; also called a longitudinal wave (SRB, IG)

constraint a factor that limits what can be done (SRB, IG)

crest the high point of a wave (SRB, IG)

criterion (plural: criteria) a requirement that must be met (SRB, IG)

decibel (dB) a unit used to measure the amplitude of sound (SRB, IG)

demodulate the process of decoding the information transmitted by a modulated carrier wave (SRB, IG)

digital data expressed as single digits, usually 0 and 1 (SRB, IG)

echo the reflection of a sound off a distant surface (SRB)

electromagnetic spectrum the range of all different electromagnetic wavelengths, including visible light, that can be seen as different colors and other wavelengths that cannot be seen by the human eye (SRB, IG)

electromagnetic wave a wave of electricity and magnetism that can travel through a medium or empty space (SRB, IG)

emit to send out (SRB)

energy usable power that can be transferred or converted to different forms but cannot be created or destroyed (SRB, IG)

fiber optics the transmission of information through optical fibers (SRB, IG)

filter a transparent material that can absorb certain colors (SRB, IG)

frequency a rate of something that repeats over and over (SRB, IG)

frequency modulation (FM) the process of changing the frequency of a carrier wave to transmit information (SRB, IG)

gamma ray an electromagnetic wave with the most energy and shortest wavelength (SRB)

incident beam an incoming beam (SRB, IG)

infer to reach a conclusion based on evidence (SRB)

infrared (IR) wave an electromagnetic wave with slightly less energy and longer wavelength than visible light; can also be felt as heat (SRB)

interface the place where two different media meet (SRB, IG)

inverse relationship a mathematical relationship where if one variable increases, the other decreases (SRB, IG)

kinetic energy energy of movement (SRB, IG)

laser a tool that produces a very narrow, focused beam of coherent light (SRB, IG)

light electromagnetic radiation that is reflected off surfaces and can be seen (SRB)

longitudinal wave a wave in which the wave’s medium moves in the same direction as the movement of the wave; also called a compression wave (SRB, IG)

mechanical wave a wave that can only travel through a medium (solid, liquid, or gas) (SRB, IG)

medium (plural: media) a substance or material (solid, liquid, or gas) (SRB, IG)

microwave an electromagnetic wave with slightly less energy and longer wavelength than infrared waves; also a device that uses microwaves to increase the kinetic energy of water molecules (SRB)

model a representation of something else (SRB) modulation the process of changing the amplitude or frequency of a carrier wave to transmit information (SRB, IG) node a point where a wave crosses its resting line (SRB, IG)

noise a disturbance that reduces the quality of a signal (SRB) normal line a line that extends at a right angle (90°) from a flat surface (SRB, IG)

optical fiber a specially designed transparent fiber that transmits light over long distances by total internal reflection (SRB, IG)

oscillation a regular pattern of motion (SRB)

pattern a repeating and recognizable feature (SRB) photon a packet of energy that makes up light (SRB) pitch the highness or lowness of sound, which depends on the frequency of its sound wave (SRB) pixel one element of a digital picture (SRB, IG) primary wave (p-wave) a compression wave generated by an earthquake that travels quickly through solids and liquids (SRB) prism a triangle of glass that can separate light into its different wavelengths (colors) (SRB) property something you can observe about an object, material, or system (SRB) prototype a physical or digital model of a new design (SRB, IG) pulse a short burst that travels as a wave (SRB, IG) radiation energy emitted as an electromagnetic wave (SRB) radio wave an electromagnetic wave with the least energy and longest wavelength; a wave that is commonly used to transmit signals used in modern communications, including sound, images, and Internet data (SRB) ray a straight line that light waves travel in (SRB, IG) reflect to bounce back (SRB) reflected beam a beam reflected off a surface (SRB, IG) reflection the bouncing back of waves off an object (SRB, IG)

refract to change the speed and direction of travel of a wave (SRB)

refraction the changing of a wave’s speed and direction as it travels into a medium (SRB, IG)

research looking for work that may already have been done (IG) resolution the clarity of detail in an image (SRB, IG) reverberation the collection of closely spaced sound reflections off many surfaces (SRB)

sampling rate the time between each measurement of a wave’s properties (SRB) secondary wave (s-wave) a transverse wave generated by an earthquake that travels through solids only (SRB) seismic wave a mechanical wave that travels through earth materials during an earthquake (SRB) seismograph an instrument that can detect and record seismic waves (SRB) seismologist a scientist who studies earthquakes (SRB) spectroscope a tool that can separate light into its different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (SRB, IG) spectroscopy the process of using a spectroscope to study the electromagnetic spectrum (SRB) spectrum a pattern of wavelengths that can identify different kinds of light (IG) telecommunication communicating at a distance through technology (SRB) telegraph the first form of digital telecommunication, which sends messages by using electric signals and wires (SRB) total internal reflection when a wave bends so much at the interface between media that it reflects back into the original medium instead of refracting out into the new medium (SRB, IG) transducer a device that transforms one form of energy into another (SRB) transparent materials that are clear and let light through (SRB) transverse wave a wave in which the movement of the wave’s medium is perpendicular to the movement of the wave traveling through the medium (SRB, IG) trough the low point of a wave (SRB, IG) tsunami a high-energy ocean wave created from the movement of Earth’s crust (SRB) ultraviolet (UV) light an electromagnetic wave with slightly more energy and shorter wavelength than visible light; its energy is high enough to excite the electrons within a molecule (SRB) FOSS Waves Course Vocabulary/Glossary Terms, NGSS Edition © 2019 4 of 5

variable any factor that can be changed (SRB, IG)

velocity speed (SRB)

vibration a quick back-and-forth movement (SRB)

visible light wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that can be seen by the human eye (SRB)

volume how loud a sound is, which depends on the amplitude of its sound wave (SRB)

wave a back-and-forth pattern of motion that transfers energy (SRB, IG)

wavelength the length of one wave; can be measured as the distance from the center of one peak to the center of the next peak (SRB, IG)

white light all colors of visible light mixed together (SRB)

X-ray an electromagnetic wave with slightly more energy and shorter wavelength than ultraviolet light; waves that are commonly used for imaging structures inside the body (SRB)