Chapter 17.1 Vocabulary List
Mechanical wave: a disturbance of matter that carries energy from one place to another.
Medium: the material through which a wave travels
Transverse wave: a wave that causes a medium to vibrate at right angles to the direction in which
the wave travels
Crest: the highest point (above the resting point) of a transverse wave
Trough: the lowest point (below the resting point) of a transverse wave
Longitudinal wave: a wave in which the vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction the wave
travels
Compression: an area of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together
Rarefaction: an area of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are spread out
Air
Water
Surface wave travels at the
boundary between the air and
water like a wave in the ocean
Surface wave: a wave that travels along the surface separating two media