| A | B |
|---|
| Focal Point | the point at which rays or waves meet after reflection or refraction, or the point from which diverging rays or waves appear to proceed. |
| Resting Point | considered the spot where the wave begins disturbing the medium. |
| Wave Length | The distance from one crest to the next or from one trough to the next is . |
| Crest | The highest part of a transverse wave is the |
| Trough | The lowest part of a transverse wave is the, The bottom of the trough is the point furtherest away from the resting place. |
| Amplitude | is the distance from the resting place to the crest or trough. If you were looking at a roller coaster, then you would agree that the highest hill has more amplitude than the lowest hill. |
| Longitudinal Wave | look like Slinkies. They look like they bunch up then spread out as they travel. This is because they travel parallel to the force. |
| Compression | the compressed part of the wave. Once a force is applied, the energy is transferred in the same direction causing the compression of the medium. |
| Rarefraction | the spread out part of the wave. As the wave travels through the medium, it will alternate the compression with the rarefaction |
| Period | the time for a particle on a medium to make one complete vibrational cycle. |
| Reflection | the throwing by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound |
| Refraction | the bending of a wave when it enters a medium where its speed is different. The refraction of light when it passes from a fast medium to a slow medium bends the light ray toward the normal to the boundary between the two media. |
| Diffraction | refers to various phenomena which occur when a wave encounters an obstacle or a slit. In classical physics, the diffraction phenomenon is described as the interference of waves according to the Huygens–Fresnel principle. |
