| A | B |
|---|
| Wave | a disturbance that transfers energy, but not mass, while traveling from one location to another |
| Medium | any substance that waves utilize to transport the wave's energy |
| Mechanical Wave | waves that require a medium to transfer their energy |
| Longitudinal Wave | waves in which the particles in the medium move in the same direction as the wave itself and parallel to it |
| Compressional Wave | waves in which the particles in the medium move in the same direction as the wave itself and parallel to it |
| Transverse Wave | wave in which the particles of the medium mover perpendicular to the direction of the wave. |
| Electromagnetic Wave | transverse wave consisting of electric and magnetic components. It transfers energy through space without needing a material medium |
| Rest Position | the point in the wave cycle when the medium has zero displacement |
| Crest | the peak of the wave |
| Trough | the valley of the wave |
| Compression | regions of low particle density in a longitudinal wave |
| Rarefaction | regions of low particle density in a longitudinal wave |
| Reflection | wave energy that bounces off of the medium's surface and changes direction |
| Refraction | phenomenon in which the direction of travel of waves is bent in passing from one medium to another at any angle other that 90 degrees because their speed in the new medium changes. |
| Diffraction | waves bend around barrier or edges of an opening |
| Displacement | the distance of a vibrating particle from the midpoint or rest position of its vibration |
| Amplitude | the maximum amount of displacement of the particles from its rest position |
| Wavelength | the distance from crest to crest or from trough to trough |
| Frequency | the number of wave cycles the particles go through per second |
| Hertz | unit of measure equal to one wave cycle per second |
| Period | the time for a complete cycle to pass a particular point |
| Electromagnetic Spectrum | the range of all possible electromagnetic waves |
