| A | B |
|---|
| mechanical wave | needs a material medium to travel |
| electromagnetic wave | needs no material medium to travel |
| refraction | bending of a wave as it travels from one medium to another |
| diffraction | bending of a wave as it passed through a slit |
| transverse wave | displacement is perpendicular to the direction of propagation |
| longitudinal wave | direction of displacement is parallel to the direction of propagation |
| amplitude | the magnitude of maximum displacement from equilibrium position |
| wavelength | crest to crest distance |
| frequency | number of waves passing a point in a unit of time (second) |
| period | time for a complete wave to pass a point |
