| A | B |
|---|
| wave | rhythmic disturbances that carry energy without carrying matter |
| mechanical wave | waves that use matter to transfer energy |
| electromagnetic waves | waves that do not need matter to transfer energy |
| transverse wave | a wave in which the matter in the medium moves perpendicular to the wave/energy |
| compressional wave | a wave in which the medium moves in the same direction as the wave |
| amplitude | half the distance between the crest and the trough |
| wavelength | the distance from the top of one crest to the top of the next crest |
| frequency | the number of wavelengths that pass a given point in one second |
| compression | a region where particles are close together in a wave |
| rarefaction | a region of spread-out particles in a wave |
| wave speed | product of frequency and wavelength |
| reflection | waves striking an object or surface and bouncing off |
| refraction | waves bending as they move from one medium to another |
| diffraction | bending of waves around a barrier |
| constructive interference | when two waves combine to form a larger wave |
| destructive interference | when two waves combine to form a smaller wave |
