Waves

• Mechanical waves


  Waves that require a medium to pass through, be it air, water or rock

  e.g. sound waves, water waves, seismic waves
• Electromagnetic waves


  Waves that don't require a medium to pass through (they can travel through a vaacum like space).

  e.g.UV Rays, microwaves, radio waves
• Longitudinal waves


  Is a type of wave where the particles of the medium move parallel to the direction on the wave
• Transverse wave


  Is a type of wave where the particles of a medium move perpendicular to the direction of wave
• Wavelength


  Is the distance between two consecutive points that are in phase with each other
• Amplitude


  The maximum displacement of a particle from its equilibrium when the wave passes through a medium
• Frequency


  Is the number of complete cycles of a wave that occur in a given time period
• Velocity


  Is the speed of an object in a specific direction
• Period


  The time it takes for one complete cycle of the wave to pass a given point
• • Waves transfer energy but not matter
  • Some waves transfer information
• Oscillation


  A regularly repeating motion about a central value

  
  

  E.G. Pendulum of a clock, a child on a swing, a weight bouncing on a string
• Displacement


  How far the quantity that is in oscillation has moved from its mean value at any given time.
• In an oscillation, something is displaced from its rest position. In physical oscillation, the displacement is a distance moved by something from rest.
• How can an oscillating system produce a wave motion?


  An oscillating system can produce wave motion through the repetitive back and forth movement of its components. When an object oscillates, such as a pendulum or mass on a spring, it moves from an equilibrium position to a maximum displacement . This motion creates disturbances in the surrounding medium which then propagate away from the source
• Phase difference


  The difference in phase angle between two waves of the same frequency and wavelength, where 360 degrees represents a single whole cycle of the waveform