It also equals the period of the vibration making the wave. If the frequency is doubled, the period is halved.

Period and frequency are inversely proportional to each other.

The period (T) of a wave is the time taken for one wavelength to pass.

The wave equation relates the above three quantities: v = f λ.

Speed is calculated using the formula: speed (in m.s –1) = Distance moved (in m).

If the speed is given in any other unit (for instance, km hr –1), it must first be converted to m.s –1 before doing a calculation. The speed can change as the medium changes.

The speed of a wave (v) is the distance moved by any pulse in the wave per second.

Distance CG and distance BF are equal and are the wavelength. Points B and D and points C and E are completely out of phase. Point B and F and points C and G are in phase. Point B must be moving down for the wave to be moving to the right. Each point in the medium simply vibrates up and down. The unit is metres (m).ĭistance A is the amplitude of the wave. This equals the distance from the rest position to the top of a crest or to the bottom of a trough. The amplitude of a wave is the maximum distance that a point in a wave moves from its rest position.It equals the frequency of the vibration making the waves. Frequency (f) is the number of wavelengths passing per second.If the wavelength is given in any other unit (for instance, mm or nm), it must be converted to metres when doing a calculation. For transverse waves, wavelength is the distance between two successive crests or two successive troughs. Wavelength (λ) is the distance between two consecutive points that are in phase.Two particles are completely out of phase if they are moving oppositely, with one reaching the crest at the same instant that the other reaches the trough.ġ.2 Wavelength, frequency, amplitude, period, wave speed Particles in a medium that are not vibrating perfectly in step with one another are out of phase.Particles in a medium are in phase if they are vibrating perfectly in step with one another.One complete vibration (or one oscillation) of the end of a slinky spring will produce one wavelength in the spring.It is the movement from the rest position to the furthest point in one direction, then to the furthest point in the opposite direction, then back to the rest position. One complete vibration (also called one oscillation) is one complete to-and-fro movement.The rest position of a vibrating object (also called the equilibrium position) is the position that it would be in when not vibrating.A vibration is a regular to-and-fro movement (up-and-down or forwards-and- backwards).Continuous transverse waves are produced by continuous vibrations of the medium.The ‘hollow’ in a transverse wave is called a trough.The ‘hump’ in a transverse wave is called a crest.A wave is made up of one pulse after another.The amplitude of a pulse is the maximum displacement from the position of rest of a particle in the medium.In a transverse pulse or wave, the particles of the medium vibrate at 90° to the direction in which the pulse or wave moves.

A single trough is also a transverse pulse. A pulse is a single disturbance in a medium.

1.1 Properties of transverse pulses and waves

Physics 101 study guide