Howdy! can be replied to with just a nod and a smile. It simply means Hi! in Texan - not How are you doing?. Or you might reply, Hey Y'all Doon? if you want to engage in proper Texan interactions. Replying in proper English, well pronounced, with each syllable clearly spoken, is HIGHLY discouraged.
The crest of a wave is the point of maximum positive displacement, or upward movement, away from equilibrium, or an undisturbed state. The opposite of crest is trough, which is the point of the greatest negative, downward displacement.
The vertical axis is the amplitude of the wave while the horizontal axis can be either distance or time. In this picture you can see that the highest point on the graph of the wave is called the crest and the lowest point is called the trough.