Ch. 15 Waves Vocab

a disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another without transferring matter.

• wave

• medium

• crest

• compression

a wave that can travel only through matter

• mechanical wave

• longitudinal wave

• transverse wave

• electromagnetic wave

a material in which a wave travels

• medium

• crest

• trough

• rarefaction

a wave in which the disturbance is perpendicular to the direction the wave travels.

• transverse wave

• mechanical wave

• longitudinal wave

• compression

the highest points on a transverse wave

• crest

• trough

• medium

• rarefaction

the lowest points on a transverse wave

• troughs

• crests

• compressions

• rarefactions

makes the particles in a medium move parallel to the direction that the wave travels

• longitudinal wave

• transverse wave

• mechanical wave

• rarefaction

regions of a longitudinal wave where the particles in the medium are closest together

• compressions

• medium

• rarefactions

• electromagnetic

the regions of a longitudinal wave where the particles are farthest apart

• compressions

• rarefactions

• electromagnetic

• medium

a wave that can travel through empty space and through matter.

• electromagnetic wave

• transverse wave

• longitudinal wave

• mechanical wave