(Definition of âhowdyâ from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary Â© Cambridge University Press)
A wave is an up and down movement of water. When we talk about waves, we use special words to name their parts. The highest point of a wave is called the crest. The lowest point is called the trough. Wave height is the vertical distance between the crest and trough. Wavelength is the horizontal distance between waves in a series. Wavelength can be measured between two wave crests. It can be measured between two wave troughs.
Waves have moving crests (or peaks) and troughs. A crest is the highest point the medium rises to and a trough is the lowest point the medium sinks to. Crests and troughs on a transverse wave are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Crests and troughs in a transverse wave. Definition 1: Crests and troughs. A crest is a point on the wave where the displacement of the medium is at a maximum. A point on the wave is a trough if the displacement of the medium at that point is at a minimum.