A | B |
wave | A disturbance that transmits energy through matter or space. |
medium | a substance through which a wave can travel. |
transverse wave | A wave in which the particles of the wave's medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling. |
longitudinal wave | A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth along the path that the wave travels. |
amplitude | The maximum distance a wave vibrates from its rest position. |
wavelength | The distance between one point on a wave and the corresponding point on an adjacent wave in a series of waves. |
frequency | The number of waves produced in a given amount of time. |
wave speed | The speed at which a wave travels. |
reflection | The bouncing back of a wave after it strikes a barrier or an object. |
refraction | The bending of a wave as it passes at an angle from one medium to another. |
diffraction | The bending of waves around a barrier or through an opening. |
interference | A wave interaction that occurs when two or more waves overlap. |
standing wave | A wave that forms a stationary pattern in which portions of the wave do not move and other portions move with a large amplitude. |
resonance | What occurs when an object vibrating at or near a resonant frequency of a second object causes the second object to vibrate. |