| A | B |
|---|
| Medium | A substance through which a wave moves. |
| Mechanical Wave | A wave, such as a sound wave or a seismic wave, that transfers kinetic energy through matter. |
| Longitudinal Wave | A type of wave in which the disturbance moves in the same direction that the wave travels. |
| wavelength | The distance from one wave crest to the next crest; the distance from any part of one wave to the identical part of the next wave. |
| Frequency | The number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time, usually one second; the number of cycles per unit time. |
| Amplitude | The maximum distance that a disturbance causes a medium to move from its rest position; the distance between a crest or trough of a wave and line through the center of a wave. |
| Crest | The highest point, or peak, of a wave. |
| Trough | The lowest point, or valley, of a wave |
| Refraction | The bending of a wave as it crosses the boundary between two mediums at an angle other than 90 degrees. |
| Diffraction | The spreading out of waves as they pass through an opening or around the edges of an obstacle. |
