Wave Vocabulary
Word
Medium
Definition
Crest/Peak
Trough
Longitudinal
wave
Wavelength
Frequency
Amplitude
Reflection
When a wave bounces off of a
surface such as a mirror
Drawing
Law of reflection
Angle of incidence =
Angle of reflection
Incident ray
See diagram
Reflective ray
See diagram
Normal
Red line in diagram
Refraction
Bending of waves that travel
through different media
Diffraction
Waves bend around a barrier
Constructive and
Destructive
Interference
Waves add together (constructive)
or cancel each other out
(destructive)
Wave: A disturbance that transfers energy from place to place through matter or space
Seismic Waves: caused by earthquakes