What’s the difference between long and medium wave on a radio?

Both of these waves are in the AM radio band. AM radio is the process of broadcasting using amplitude modulation, or changing the height of a wave. The AM band is split into different wavelengths. Long wave has long wavelengths, so the waves are further apart from each other and the frequencies, or number of waves per second, are lower than 532khz. Medium wave has shorter wavelengths, so the waves are closer together, with frequencies between 532khz and 1,606khz.