Crests and troughs are both characteristic features of waves. A crest is the point on a wave with the maximum positive amplitude, while a trough is the point with the maximum negative amplitude. Together, they represent the maximum and minimum points of a wave's oscillation.
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Yes, a sound wave will have crests and troughs. The crests represent the points of maximum positive displacement in the wave, while the troughs represent the points of maximum negative displacement. This pattern of alternating crests and troughs forms the waveform of the sound wave.
The measure of how high the crests are or how deep the troughs are in a wave is called the amplitude. It represents the maximum displacement of a wave from its resting position.
When waves travel through each other and the crests overlap with crests and troughs overlap with troughs, it is called interference. Interference can result in constructive interference, where the amplitudes add up, or destructive interference, where the amplitudes cancel each other out.
Transverse waves have crests and troughs. In transverse waves, particles in the medium oscillate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.
The distance between two adjacent wave crests or troughs is called the wavelength.