Direction: Read the given passage and answer the following questions.
Waves are fundamental phenomena that occur in various forms across different mediums, encompassing mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves, and matter waves. These disturbances transfer energy from one point to another without the permanent displacement of the medium. Mechanical waves, such as sound and water waves, require a medium to propagate, whereas electromagnetic waves, including light and radio waves, can travel through a vacuum. Waves are characterized by properties such as wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed. The wavelength is the distance between successive crests or troughs, while frequency refers to the number of wave cycles that pass a point per unit time. Amplitude measures the wave's maximum displacement from its equilibrium position, and wave speed is the rate at which the wave travels through the medium. The behavior of waves can be described by principles such as reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference. Reflection occurs when a wave bounces off a surface, while refraction is the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at an angle. Diffraction involves the spreading of waves around obstacles, and interference is the superposition of two or more waves resulting in a new wave pattern. Understanding these properties and behaviors is essential in fields ranging from physics and engineering to communication technologies and medical imaging.