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Wave types and parts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Wave | A disturbance that transfers energy through a medium or a vacuum |
| What do ALL waves carry? | Energy |
| Medium | Matter through which a wave can travel, such as a solid, liquid, or gas |
| Mechanical Waves | Waves that require a medium for motion; Examples include water, sound, seismic (earthquakes) |
| Electromagnetic Waves | Waves that do not require a medium for motion; can travel through empty space (vacuum) |
| Frequency | The number of waves that pass by in a given amount of time |
| Wavelength | The distance between two corresponding parts of a wave (Example - crest to crest) |
| Transverse Waves | A type of wave that moves the medium perpendicular to the direction the wave travels |
| Longitudinal Waves | A type of wave that displaces the particles of the medium parallel to the direction in which the wave travels |
| Amplitude | The maximum distance a wave moves away from the rest position |
| Trough | The lowest part of a transverse wave |
| Crest | The highest part of a transverse wave |
| Compression | The location where particles are closest together on a longitudinal wave |
| Rarefaction | The location where the particles are farthest apart on a longitudinal wave |