Properties of Waves

Wave Characteristics

A wave is a disturbance that can carry energy from one location to another without the need for matter to be transported.
Waves can be described as linear, spherical or plane. Linear waves (like ripples on a pond after a stone is dropped) occur when a wave spreads from a point in a medium. Spherical waves (like the waves that radiate outward from where a pebble was dropped into water) involve disturbances that spread out in all directions. Plane waves are often approximations of linear or spherical waves.

There are two main types of waves: transverse waves and longitudinal waves.
In transverse waves, the particles of the medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the wave’s motion.
In longitudinal waves, the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth along the direction that the wave travels.

Every wave has several properties: wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and wave speed.
Wavelength refers to the length of one complete wave cycle, such as the distance from one crest to the next.
Frequency, measured in hertz (Hz), denotes how many waves pass a given point every second.
Amplitude is the maximum distance that the particles of a wave oscillate away from their rest positions.
Wave speed describes how quickly the wave pattern moves along the medium.

Wave speed, frequency, and wavelength are connected through the equation: v = f λ (wave speed = frequency × wavelength).
Period (T) is the time taken for one complete cycle of vibration to pass a given point. It’s the inverse of frequency: T=1/f.

Waves can exhibit several behaviours when interacting with other waves or materials, such as reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference.
Reflection occurs when a wave hits a hard surface and bounces back.
Refraction happens when a wave bends as it moves from one medium into another with different properties.
Interference takes place when two waves overlap and combine to create a new wave pattern.
Diffraction is the spreading out of a wave around obstacles or through openings.

The electromagnetic spectrum includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
All of these wave types travel at the same speed in a vacuum, specifically the speed of light, 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.
They differ in their frequencies and wavelengths. Gamma rays pose the highest frequency and shortest wavelength, while radio waves have the lowest frequency and longest wavelength.