acoustic wave
Pressure traveling through
An acoustic wave is a pressure disturbance that travels through a medium—air, water, or solid material—transferring energy without permanently displacing matter.
Sound is the most familiar example: vibrations compress and expand the medium in patterns our ears interpret as noise, speech, or music.
Acoustic waves from the explosion rattled windows a mile away.
Act of spreading widely
- frequencyRate of recurrence
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- amplitudeMaximum oscillation displacement
- mediumMiddle size or state
longitudinal · transverse · interference · diffraction · refraction · reflection · attenuation · dispersion
Reflected sound wave
- echolocationNavigation through reflected sound
- ultrasonicAbove audible frequency range
- pingBrief metallic tone
- depth soundingMeasuring water depth
submarine · hydrophone · transducer · pulse · detection · ranging · bathymetry · fish finder
Frequencies above the fundamental
- sympatheticFeeling others' emotions
- tuningAdjusting pitch accuracy
- modalPertaining to form
- impedanceAC circuit opposition
coupling · cavity · feedback · sustain · bandwidth · natural frequency · overtone · fundamental
Sending of information
- absorptionProcess of taking in
- scatteringDistribution in many directions
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- mediumMiddle size or state
air · water · solid · speed of sound · Mach · ray · beam · directivity
propagation
Act of spreading widely
- frequencyRate of recurrence
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- amplitudeMaximum oscillation displacement
medium · longitudinal · transverse · interference · diffraction · refraction · reflection · attenuation · dispersion · Hertz
echo
Reflected sound wave
- echolocationNavigation through reflected sound
- ultrasonicAbove audible frequency range
- pingBrief metallic tone
depth sounding · submarine · hydrophone · transducer · pulse · detection · ranging · bathymetry · fish finder · reflection
harmonics
Frequencies above the fundamental
- sympatheticFeeling others' emotions
- tuningAdjusting pitch accuracy
- modalPertaining to form
impedance · coupling · cavity · feedback · sustain · bandwidth · natural frequency · overtone · fundamental · antinode
transmission
Sending of information
- absorptionProcess of taking in
- scatteringDistribution in many directions
- reflectionReturned light or thought
medium · air · water · solid · speed of sound · Mach · ray · beam · directivity · coupling
pitch
Frequency of sound
melody · note · chord · octave · volume · dynamics · tuning · instrument · vibrato · overtone
acoustic waveelectromagnetic wave
Self-propagating field oscillation
light wave · electromagnetic radiation · radio wave · microwave · X-ray
wave, waves, waving, waver, waved, acoustic, acoustics, waveform, waveguide