| A | B |
|---|
| compression | region of a longitudinal wave where the particles in the medium are closest together |
| crest | highest point on a transverse wave |
| electromagnetic wave | can travel through empty space and through matter |
| longitudinal wave | makes the particles in a medium move parallel to the direction of the wave |
| mechanical wave | travels only through matter |
| medium | material in which a mechanical wave travels |
| rarefaction | region of a longitudinal wave where the particles are farthest apart |
| transverse wave | disturbance is perpendicular to the direction of the wave |
| trough | lowest point on a transverse wave |
| wave | disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another |
| amplitude | maximum distance particles in a medium move from their rest position as waves pass through the medium |
| frequency | number of wavelengths that pass by a point each second |
| wavelength | distance from one point on a wave to the same point on the next wave |
| refraction | what occurs when a wave changes direction because its speed changes |
| destructive interference | what occurs when a crest of one wave overlaps the trough of another wave (smaller wave results) |
| absorption | transfer of energy by a wave to the medium through which it travels |
| interference | what occurs when waves overlap and combine to form a new wave |
| constructive interference | what occurs when crests overlap crests and troughs overlap troughs (larger wave results) |
| transmission | passage of light through an object |
| reflection | bouncing of a wave off a surface |
| diffraction | the change in direction of a wave when it travels by the edge of an object or travels through an opening |
