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When a periodic disturbance of some kind is propagated through a medium, wave motion occurs. Wave motion can take many forms, including pressure variations throughout the air, transverse motions along a guitar string, and variations in the intensities of local electric and magnetic fields in space, which make up electromagnetic radiation. There is a characteristic velocity at which the disturbance moves in each medium.
Wave motion can be measured in three ways: amplitude, wavelength, and frequency.
Certain occurrences require the phase associated with a wave to be described. A wave’s velocity is equal to the product of its wavelength and frequency.
Wave
A disturbance or variation in a medium that carries energy from point to point and can take the form of an elastic deformation, a change in pressure, electric or magnetic intensity, electric potential, or temperature.
A wave is a disturbance or variation. Although the medium through which the wave travels may experience some local oscillations as it passes, the particles in the medium do not travel with the wave. The disturbance can take a variety of forms, ranging from a finite-width pulse to an infinite-length sine wave.
Properties of wave
It’s crucial to understand that a wave is not the same as a particle. A baseball thrown through a window distributes energy from one location to another, but this requires a material object moving between two positions. A wave on the ocean is a common example of a wave; we know they transport energy because they produce erosion on the shore, but material (i.e., water) is not continuously moved onto the shore.
A sound wave is another type of wave, as it is made up of vibrations of air molecules that travel from one location to another. These transport energy as well, but they do not require the mass movement of air from one location to another.
There are several properties of waves:
Frequency:
Frequency is the number of waves that travel through a given point in a given amount of time.
The higher the frequency, the closer the waves are to each other and the more energy the waves carry.
Amplitude:
The distance between a line through the middle of a wave and a crest or trough is defined as amplitude. The stronger the force that creates a wave, the larger the amplitude of the wave and the more energy it carries.
The crest of a transverse wave is its highest point, while the trough is its lowest.
The amplitude of a transverse wave is proportional to its height. Sounds with more amplitude are louder, and light with more amplitude is brighter.
Wavelength
The distance between the crests of one wave and the crests of the next wave is defined as wavelength.
The frequency has an influence on shorter wavelengths. A shorter wavelength and more energy are produced at high frequencies.
Speed
A wave’s speed is the distance it travels in a given amount of time. The type of wave and the nature of the medium determine the wave’s speed.
The speed of a wave changes as it enters a different medium. In different media, waves travel at different speeds.
In empty space, electromagnetic waves of all frequencies travel at the same speed.
Wave speed Formula
The speed at which a wave travels is known as wave speed. The equation wave speed = frequency x wavelength relates wave speed to wavelength, frequency, and period. The speed of visible light, which is an electromagnetic wave, is the most often used wave speed.
Types of Waves
Generally there are two types of waves:
- Longitudinal Wave
- Transverse Wave
Longitudinal Wave
A longitudinal wave is one in which the medium’s particles move in a direction that is parallel to the wave’s movement. Assume a slinky is stretched horizontally across the classroom and a pulse is introduced by shaking the first coil left and right on the left end. Energy will begin to flow from left to right through the slinky.
Individual coils of the medium will be shifted left and right as the energy is transmitted from left to right. The particles of the medium in this situation move in the same direction as the pulse.
Transverse Wave
A transverse wave is one in which the medium’s particles move in a direction that is perpendicular to the wave’s motion. Assume a slinky is stretched horizontally across the classroom and a pulse is introduced by shaking the first coil up and down on the left end. Energy will begin to flow from left to right through the slinky.
The individual coils of the medium will be shifted upwards and downwards as the energy is carried from left to right. The particles in the medium travel perpendicular to the direction of the pulse in this situation. A transverse wave is the name for this type of wave.
Conclusion
In this article we have studied waves and their behaviour. Here we have also discussed longitudinal and transverse waves. Waves come in a variety of shapes and sizes. While all waves have some basic qualities and behaviours in common, some waves can be separated from others by observable (and non-observable) characteristics. These differentiating characteristics are commonly used to categorise waves.
The direction of movement of the individual particles of the medium relative to the direction that the waves travel is one way to characterise waves. This categorises waves into three distinct groups: transverse waves, longitudinal waves, and surface waves.
