Types of Waves
What is a wave?
A wave is a periodic disturbance in a solid, liquid or gas as energy is transmitted. A wave that requires a medium is called a mechanical wave. A medium is material or physical environment through which a phenomena such as a wave occurs. Almost all waves require a medium and therefore are mechanical waves, the one important exception is light waves. Light does not require a medium. Light waves consist of changes in electric and magnetic fields in space, therefore, light waves are also called electromagnetic waves.
electromagnetic spectrum
Waves transfer energy. This energy may spread out as a wave travels.
Vibrations involve the transformations of energy. A wave can pass through a series of vibrating objects. Mechanical waves are divided into transverse and longitudinal waves.
transverse wave
Transverse waves are waves in which the particles of the medium move perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling.
longnitudinal wave
Longitudinal waves are waves in which the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave motion. A surface wave is a combination of a transverse and longitudinal wave. In a surface wave, particles move in circles, that is both perpendicular and parallel to the waves. Water waves are examples of surface waves.
Characteristics of Waves
Transverse Waves
An ideal transverse wave has the shape of a sine curve waves and looks like an s lying on its side. They are the up and down movement of matter. They travel through the mediums of solids and liquids. The highest point of the transverse wave is called the crest. The trough is the lowest part of a transverse wave. The amplitude is the maximum distance that the particles of a wave's medium vibrate from their rest position. It is half the vertical distance between the crest and the trough. Larger waves have more amplitude and carry more energy. A wavelength is the distance from any point on a wave to an identical point on the next wave, for example from crest to crest. Examples are water waves, crowd waves, siesmic s waves, and waves created when you pluck a sting instrument.
wave in water
wave parts
A period is the amount of time it takes for a wavelength to pass a certain point.
wave period
Frequency measure the rate of vibrations. It is the number of full wavelengths that pass a point in a given time interval. Frequency is measured in Hertz.
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