Waves

Wave Formulas

Types of Waves

Keywords and Definitions

The Wave Equation

Other formulas

The wave equation is where velocity is equal to the frequency of the wave multiplied by the wavelength. This is written like:
v=fxλ, v is velocity, f is the frequency of the wave and λ is the wavelength.

Velocity is equal to distance divided by the period of a wave. The period of a wave is equal to one divided by the frequency. The distance is equal to the velocity multiplied by the period of a wave.

Longitudinal Waves

Transverse Waves

The vibrations go back and forth horizontally and there is more compression. These waves usually have a higher frequency and are usually smaller.

The vibrations go up and down vertically and there is less compression.

Frequency

Oscillations

Peak

Crest

Amplitude

Trough

Wave speed

Wavelength

The biggest distance between the trough or the peak and the equilibrium.

Equilibrium

The speed in which the wave front passes a stationary observer.

A state where opposing forces or influences are balanced.

Oscillations are Vibrations

Frequency is the number of vibrations in one second, this is measured in Hertz.

Highest point on a wave.

Another word used for the highest point on wave.

The lowest point on a wave.

The length of time it takes to finish one complete wave.

Some Facts

A wave can only be altered by having alterations made in the properties of the medium. Same as the speed of a wave, it cannot be altered because it can only be altered if there are alterations being made in the properties of the medium.

If the wavelength of a wave in a medium increases then the frequency of the wave will decrease.

What is a wave? Waves are energy that make things move through long distances or shot distances.

The vibrations are perpendicular to the direction in which the wave is traveling.

To find the frequency of a wave you have to divide the velocity and the wavelength and to find the wavelength of a wave you divide the frequency and the velocity.

Longitudinal and Transverse waves are present during some types of earthquakes. They are not always present during earthquakes.

Waves can be made from slinkies, earthquakes, sounds, water ripples, light, rope and etc. They cannot be seen with the human eye.

More Keywords and Definitions

Superposition

Superposition is where you add two waves together and create one wave. For example noise canceling head phones find other noises and then sends their own wave to neutralize it to make sure no noise is heard.

Refractive index

The refractive index is the ratio between the speed in the vacuum and the speed through which it travels through.

Stochastic

This is the process of random processes

Uniform

Same all the way through

Vibrations are perpendicular to the direction in which the wave is traveling (for transverse waves).

Refraction

Refraction is the change of direction of a wave that is passing from one medium to another.

Reflection

Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront between two different medias so that the wavefront can return to which it originated from.

Wave front

A surface which contains points that affect in the same way by a wave given at a time.

Photons

A bundle of light

Graviton

A bundle of gravity

Law of reflection

Angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection