Final answer:
Waves transfer energy and exhibit different behaviors and characteristics depending on their type; transverse waves involve movement perpendicular to the wave's direction with crests and troughs, while longitudinal waves involve movement in the same direction as the wave with compressions and rarefactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Waves transfer energy, not the matter with it. A transverse wave causes particles in matter to move back and forth at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels. High points in a transverse wave are called crests. Low points are called troughs. A longitudinal wave causes particles in matter to move back and forth along the same direction in which the wave travels. The places in a longitudinal wave in which the coils are squeezed together are called compressions. The places in the wave in which the coils are spread apart are called rarefactions. The wavelength of a transverse wave is the distance between two adjacent crests or two adjacent troughs. The wavelength of a compressional wave is the distance between two adjacent compressions or rarefactions. The frequency of a wave is the number of wavelengths that pass by a point each second. Frequency is measured in units of hertz (Hz). The speed of a wave depends on the medium in which the wave travels. To make a wavelength of rope shorter, one should shake the rope at a higher frequency. The speed of a wave can be found using the equation speed = wavelength × frequency. As the wavelength of a wave increases, the frequency of the wave decreases. The energy of a wave depends on its amplitude and frequency.