Which term is a group of waves traveling together?

• A. Destructive Interference
• B. Standing Wave
• C. Wave Train
• D. Fetch

Answer: (C)

Waves traveling together form a wave train. A wave train is a packet of waves that share similar wavelengths and periods and move in the same direction, so the crests and troughs travel as a unit and energy moves from the source toward shore. This concept helps you read sea states and anticipate the sequence of impacts on a kayak, since you’re dealing with a group of waves arriving in succession rather than isolated, random ripples.

Destructive interference describes what happens when waves meet and partially or fully cancel each other out; it’s about how waves combine, not about a traveling group. A standing wave is a pattern that looks stationary, created when waves travel in opposite directions and interfere, so there isn’t a net forward travel. Fetch is the distance over open water the wind blows in a single direction to generate waves, and it explains how big the waves can get, not how they’re arranged as a traveling group.