| A | B |
|---|
| wave | a disturbance that transmits energy through matter or space |
| medium | a substance through which a wave can travel |
| electromagnetic wave | a wave that can travel through space or matter and consists of changing electric and magnetic fields |
| crest | the highest point of a transverse wave |
| perpendicular | at right angles |
| transverse wave | a wave in which the particles of the wave's medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling |
| trough | the lowest point of a transverse wave |
| compression | a region of higher density or pressure in a wave |
| longitudinal wave | a wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth along the path that the wave travels |
| rarefaction | a region of lower density or pressure in a wave |
| surface wave | a wave that occurs at or near the boundary of two media and that is a combination of transverse and longitudinal waves |
| 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 |
| hertz | (Hz) the unit used to express frequency; one hertz is one cycle per second |
| wave speed | the speed at which a wave travels |
| echo | a reflected sound wave |
| reflection | the bouncing back of a wave after it strikes a barrier or an object |
| interference | a wave interaction that occurs when two or more waves overlap |
| constructive interference | interference that results in a wave that has a greater amplitude than that of the individual wave |
| diffraction | the bending of waves around a barrier or through an opening |
| destructive interference | interference that results in a wave that has a smaller amplitude than that of the individual wave |
| resonance | what occurs when an object vibrating at or near a resonant frequency of a second object causes the second object to vibrate |
| resonant frequencies | the frequencies at which standing waves are made |
| refraction | the bending of a wave as it passes at an angle from one medium to another |
| 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 |
