Wave
A periodic disturbance in a solid, liquid, or gas as energy is transmitted through a medium
Medium
A physical environment in which phenomena occur
Mechanical Wave
A wave that requires a medium through which to travel
Electromagnetic wave
A wave that consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which radiate outward at the speed of light
Transverse wave
A wave in which the particles of the medium move perpendicularly to the direction the wave is traveling
Longitudinal wave
A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave motion
Crest
The highest point of a wave
Trough
The lowest point of a wave
Amplitude
The maximum distance that the particles of a wave's medium vibrate from their rest position
Wavelength
The distance from any point on a wave to an identical point on the next wave
Period
The time that it takes a complete cycle or wave oscillation to occur
Frequency
The number of cycles or vibrations per unit of time
Doppler effect
An observed change in the frequency of a wave when the source or observer is moving
Reflection
The bouncing back of a ray of light, sound, or heat when the ray hits a surface that it does not go through
Diffraction
A change in the direction of a wave when the wave finds an obstacle or an edge, such as an opening
Refraction
The bending of a wavefront as the wavefront passes between two substances in which the speed of the wave differs
Interference
The combination of two or more waves of the same frequency that results in a single wave
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