properties of waves

• Waves transfer energy and information but do not transfer matter
• There are two types of waves: transverse and longitudinal
• Transverse waves have oscillations perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer
• Longitudinal waves have oscillations parallel to the direction of energy transfer
• Examples of transverse waves are electromagnetic waves and seismic s-waves
• Examples of longitudinal waves are sound waves and seismic p-waves
• The two parts of a longitudinal wave are compressions and rarefactions
• The two parts of a transverse wave are peaks and troughs
• Wave amplitude is the maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its undisturbed position
• Wavelength is the distance from a point on a wave to the same position on the adjacent wave, commonly peak to peak or trough to trough
• Frequency of a wave is the number of waves that pass a given point each second
• The unit used for frequency is Hertz, Hz
• A frequency of 200Hz means that 200 waves pass a given point each second
• Wave speed is the speed at which energy is transferred through a medium
• Wave velocity is the product of wavelength and frequency of the wave, measured in metres per second
• The equation to calculate wave speed is Speed = Frequency x Wavelength, with units Speed (m/s), Frequency (Hz), Wavelength (m)
• The period of a wave is the length of time it takes for one full wave to pass through a point