4-PS4-1 Wave Model Vocabulary

Front

Wave

Back

A disturbance that transfers energy through a medium (such as water or air) or space. Waves can travel in different forms, like sound waves, light waves, or ocean waves, and they carry energy from one place to another without moving matter over long distances.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Patterns of Motion

Back

Predictable, repeated movements that occur in waves, such as the rise and fall of ocean waves or the compression and expansion of sound waves. These patterns help us describe and analyze how waves move.

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NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Amplitude

Back

The height of a wave from its resting position to its peak (or crest) or trough. Amplitude measures the energy in a wave: higher amplitude means more energy, like a loud sound or a tall ocean wave.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Wavelength

Back

The distance between two corresponding points on consecutive waves, such as crest to crest or trough to trough. Wavelength is a key characteristic that helps determine the type and energy of the wave.

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NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Disturbance

Back

A temporary change in a medium that causes a wave to form, like a stone dropped in water or a pluck on a guitar string. The disturbance moves through the medium, transferring energy as a wave.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Motion of an Object

Back

The change in position of an object over time. In waves, motion describes how particles in a medium (such as water or air) oscillate or vibrate as the wave energy moves through.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Energy

Back

The capacity to do work or cause change. In waves, energy is what's transferred from one place to another; for example, the Sun's energy creates ocean waves, and sound waves carry energy that we hear as sound.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS3-2

NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Baseline

Back

The resting position or midline of a wave; the point around which the wave oscillates.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Crest

Back

The highest point of a wave.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-1

Front

Distance

Back

The amount of space between two points.

Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-1