Waves
First published: 2016
Brief summary
OpenStax chapter on waves, frequency, wavelength and interference.
Article
A mechanical wave is a disturbance that transfers energy through a material medium without transporting the medium as a whole. Particles of the medium oscillate around equilibrium while the disturbance propagates through space.
Wave motion is described by amplitude, wavelength, period, frequency and speed. Frequency is the number of cycles per unit time, period is the duration of one cycle, and wave speed equals frequency multiplied by wavelength.
Transverse waves have particle motion perpendicular to the direction of travel, while longitudinal waves have particle motion parallel to it. Surface water waves can combine both kinds of motion.
When waves overlap, their displacements add according to superposition. This produces constructive and destructive interference, and reflections can combine with incoming waves to form standing-wave patterns.
Source details and credits
- Source / publisher: OpenStax
- Source type: Textbook chapter
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: OpenStax
- URL: https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/16-introduction