| A | B |
|---|
| acoustics | the science and study of sound |
| amplitude | in a wave, the maximum displacement of a wave from its rest positionthat is, distance from rest to crest or rest to trough |
| compression | in a medium through which sound is passing, a high-pressure region of a sound wave |
| constructive interference | effect that occurs when two waves with synchronized crests and troughs meet |
| destructive interference | effect that occurs when two waves with crests and troughs that are out of phase meet, effectively canceling each other out to zero amplitude at a point |
| Doppler Effect | the change in the observed frequency of a wave because of the motion of the source or the observer toward or away from the other |
| frequency | the number of waves that pass through a point during a specific amount of time |
| hertz | the SI-derived unit of frequency in the metric system; it is a unit equal to one cycle per second |
| longitudinal waves | for mechanical waves, waves in which the movement in the medium is parallel to the direction the wave is traveling |
| medium | substance that is the means of transmission of a force or effect; in the case of waves, air, water, other gases, and solid earth are all mediums |
| period | the duration of one complete cycle of motion |
| pitch | in music and acoustics, refers to the frequency of a given tone in that pitch is the perceived highness or lowness of a sound |
| rarefaction | in a medium through which sound is passing, a low-pressure region of a sound wave |
| sonic boom | piled-up sound waves manifested as a violent shock wave propagating behind an object that is traveling at supersonic speed |
| speed | the rate at which an object changes position |
| standing wave | a pattern formed when two waves of the same amplitude and frequency move simultaneously through a medium in opposite directions (the wave appears to oscillate but not propagate); also stationary wave |
| surface wave | a wave that travels on the surface of a medium in both transverse and longitudinal motions, resulting in circular movement of the particles of medium through which the wave is traveling |
| transverse waves | for mechanical waves, waves in which the movement in the medium is perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling |
| traveling wave | a wave that continuously carries energy away from its source |
| velocity | the distance an object traveled from one position to the next divided by the time it took to travel the distance |
| wavelength | distance from one point on a wave to the next same point on a wave (for example, distance from crest to crest or trough to trough); distance of one wave cycle |
