You may have seen waves on the surface of a sea or ocean. Waves have high and low points. Big waves have a lot of power and strength. The height or strength of a wave is called its amplitude. It is the distance from the wave’s rest position to its high point or low point.
amplitude
The motion of transverse waves creates crests and troughs. Amplitude is the height of the wave. It is the distance from the resting position of the wave to the crest and the resting position to the trough.
frequency
DEFINITION
the number of cycles a wave completes in a period of time; the number of times something happens in a period of time
frequency
Different musical instruments produce different frequencies. A tuba has a very low frequency, while a piano can produce high frequency notes.
Flutist:
A flute produces sound which has a high frequency.
frequency
The number of times sound vibrates in a given amount of time is called frequency. Frequency is measured in hertz.
longitudinal waves
DEFINITION
a wave that occurs when the particles of a medium move parallel to the direction of the wave
longitudinal waves
Waves in which the motion of the individual particles of the medium is in a direction that is parallel to the direction of energy transport (in a horizontal motion) are called longitudinal waves.
transverse waves
DEFINITION
a wave that occurs when the particles of a medium are displaced perpendicularly to the direction of the wave
transverse waves
Transverse waves are produced when the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave.
Waves carry energy. The characteristics of transverse waves are explained.
wave speed
DEFINITION
the speed at which a wave travels, calculated by the frequency multiplied by the wavelength
Wave speed equals frequency times wavelength (v = f • λ). Therefore, electromagnetic (EM) waves with longer wavelengths have lower frequencies, and EM waves with shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies. All waves of the EM spectrum travel at approximately the same wave speed: the speed of light, about 3.0 × 108 m/s.
wavelength
DEFINITION
the distance between one peak and the next on a wave
wavelength
You may have seen waves on the surface of a sea or an ocean. These waves have high and low points. The distance between one high point and the next one is called wavelength. If the wavelength is small, the waves are closer together.
wavelength
The distance between two successive crests or troughs of a sound wave is called the wavelength.
Flute:
The wavelength of the sound wave produced by a flute can be changed by opening and closing the holes in the flute.