| Definition | Term |
|---|
| a line in space that matches the direction of the flow of radiant energy | |
| a change in the direction of a wave when the wave finds an obstacle or an edge, such as an opening | |
| the highest point of a transverse wave | |
| in optics, a system that consists of two or more plane surfaces of a transparent solid at an angle with each other | |
| the rate at which energy flows through a given area of space | |
| an observed change in the frequency of a wave when the source or observer is moving | |
| a unit or quantum of light | |
| any sound wave with frequencies higher than 20,000 Hz | |
| an image from which light rays appear to diverge, even though they are not focused there; cannot be projected on a screen | |
| a transparent object that refracts light waves such that they converge or diverge to create an image | |
| the maximum distance that the particles of a wave's medium vibrate from their rest positions | |
| a superposition of two or more waves that produces an intensity equal to the difference of the intensities of the individual waves, also known as cancellation | |
| the bending of a wave front as the wave front passes between two substances in which the speed of the wave differs | |
| a wave that consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which radiate outward at the speed of light | |
| a wave in hich the particles of the medium move perpendicularly to the direction the wave is traveling | |
| a longitudinal wave that is caused by vibrations and that travels through a material medium | |
| sound navigation and ranging, a system that uses acoustic signals and echoes to determine the location of objects or to communicate | |
| the number of cycles or vibrations per unit of time; also the number of waves produced in a given amount of time | |
| in physics, the time that it takes a complete cycle or wave oscillation to occur | |
| the bouncing back of a ray of light, sound, or heat when the ray hits a surface that it does not go through | |
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