11 Waves 1

OCR A-Level Physics

displacement

distance from the equilibrium position in a particular direction

amplitude

maximum displacement from the equilibrium position

wavelength

minimum distance between two points in phase on adjacent waves

period of oscillation

the time taken for one oscillation to move one whole wavelength past a given point

frequency

the number of oscillations passing a given point per unit time

wave speed

the distance traveled by the wave per unit time

phase difference

the difference between the displacements of particles along a wave, or the difference between the displacements of particles on different waves, measured in degrees or radians

in phase

the oscillations of particles are in step with each other

antiphase

the oscillations of particles are out of step with each other