Energy & Waves Vocabulary

Front

voltage

Back

The difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts.

Front

circuit

Back

An electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow.

Front

cell

Back

A device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reaction.

Front

resistor

Back

An electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current.

Front

electric potential

Back

The potential energy per charge or Joules per Coulomb.

Front

current

Back

Flows through wires caused by positive and negative terminals.

Front

Reflection

Back

When incident light (incoming light) hits an object and bounces off.

Front

Absorption

Back

Occurs when photons from incident light hit atoms and molecules and cause them to vibrate. The more an object's molecules move and vibrate, the hotter it becomes.

Front

Diffraction

Back

The bending and spreading of waves around an obstacle.

Front

Refraction

Back

When light waves change direction as they pass from one medium to another. Light travels slower in air than in a vacuum, and even slower in water. As light travels into a different medium, the change in speed bends the light.