Waves Vocab

Medium

a material that carries a wave

Wave

a disruption that transfers energy from place to place

wave speed

the distance a wave travels over time

Vibration

a repeated back and forth or up and down motion

Transverse wave

a wave that moves the medium in a perpendicular (at right angles) motion to the direction the wave travels

crest

the highest part of a transverse wave

Trough

the lowest part of a transverse wave

Longitudinal wave

a wave that moves the medium the same direction the wave is traveling

Compression

the part of the longitudinal wave that is squished together

Rarefaction

the part of the longitudinal wave that is stretched apart

Amplitude

the height from the rest line to the crest on a transverse wave or how squished the compression is on a longitudinal wave

Frequency

how many complete waves pass a given point over time

Wavelength

distance between the same part on two waves (crest to crest or compression to compression)

Hertz

unit for frequency

Reflection

when a wave hits a surface and bounces back

Refraction

when a wave bends because of a change in speed (usually because it entered a new medium)

Diffraction

when a wave bends and spreads out around or through a barrier

Interference

when two waves meet and interact

Constructive interference

when two waves meet and make a wave with a larger amplitude

Destructive interference

when two wave meet and make a wave with a smaller amplitude

Seismic waves

earthquake waves

P waves

also called primary waves, longitudinal seismic waves

S waves

also called secondary waves, transverse seismic waves

ecolocation

when animals use reflected sound waves to find things or communicate

mechanical wave

a wave that requires a medium to travel

electromagnetic wave

a wave that does not require a medium to travel, can travel through empty space