| A | B |
|---|
| wave | disturbance that transmits energy through matter or space |
| medium | the matter through which a wave travels |
| mechanical wave | wave that requires a medium through which to travel |
| electromagnetic wave | wave caused by a disturbance in electric and magnetic fields |
| electromagnetic wave | type of wave that does not require a medium |
| transverse wave | wave that causes the particles of the medium to vibrate perpendicularly to the direction the wave travels |
| longitudinal wave | wave that causes the particles of the medium to vibrate parallel to the direction the wave travels |
| crest | highest point of a transverse wave |
| trough | lowest point of a transverse wave |
| amplitude | greatest distance that particles in a medium move from their normal position when a wave passes |
| wavelength | distance between any two successive identical parts of a wave |
| period | time required for one full wavelength to pass a certain point |
| frequency | number of vibrations that occur in a 1 second time interval |
| wave speed | speed at which a wave passes through a medium |
| Doppler effect | apparent change in the frequency of a wave when the source or observer is moving |
| reflection | bouncing back of a wave as it meets a surface or boundary |
| diffraction | bending of a wave as it passes an edge or an opening |
| refraction | bending of waves as they pass from one medium to another |
| interference | combination of two or more waves that exist in the same place at the same time |
| constructive interference | any interference in which waves combine so that the resulting wave is bigger than the original waves |
| destructive interference | any interference in which waves combine so that the resulting wave is smaller than the largest of the original waves |
| standing wave | formed when medium is fixed at both ends |
| standing wave | has regions of no vibration and other regions of maximum vibration |
