The basics of waves

What is a transverse wave?

A wave that has oscillations perpendicular to the direction of the wave

What is a longitudinal wave?

A wave that has oscillations parallel to the direction of the wave

Longitudinal waves require…

A medium to travel in

What is an amplitude?

The distance between the resting line of the wave to the highest peak/dip

What is a wavelength?

The distance between one point on one wave to the same point on the next

What is a frequency?

How many waves pass a certain point each second

What is frequency measured in?

Hertz.

1 Hz = 1 wave per second

What is a wave speed?

The speed at which energy is transferred

What is a compression?

An area of the wave with lots of particles

What is a rare fraction?

An area of the wave with very few particles

What is the wave equation?

Wave speed = frequency x wavelength