Crest
the highest, top, or head of something
Trough
a long, low area between waves or hills; a channel or conduit for conveying water; any depression or hollow, as in between two ridges or waves
Node
a knot or knob; a centering point of component parts
Antinode
the region of maximum amplitude between two adjacent nodes in a standing wave
Phase
a stage in a process of development; a side, aspect, or point of view
Wave Speed
the speed at which the phase of a wave is propagated, the product of the frequency times the wavelength. This is the quantity that is determined by methods using interference. In a dispersive medium it differs from the group speed
Reflection
the act of reflecting, as in casting back a light or heat, mirroring, or giving back or showing an image; the state of being reflected in this way.
Refraction
the change of direction of a ray of light, sound, heat, or the like, in passing obliquely from one medium into another in which its wave velocity is different
Diffraction
the bending of waves, especially sound and light waves, around obstacles in their path; the phenomenon exhibited by wave fronts that, passing the edge of an opaque body, are modulated, thereby causing a redistribution of energy within the front: it is det
Interference
the process in which two or more light, sound, or electromagnetic waves of the same frequency combine to reinforce or cancel each other, the amplitude of the resulting wave being equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the combining waves