Wave Properties

Front

Mechanical Wave Noun

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[muh-kan-i-kuhl weyv]

Back

Mechanical Wave

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A wave that results from the oscillation of matter and requires a medium to transport its energy.

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Example: This diagram shows a mechanical wave traveling through a medium, creating areas of high pressure (compression) and low pressure (rarefaction), and illustrates its properties like wavelength and amplitude.

Front

Medium Noun

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[mee-dee-uhm]

Back

Medium

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The substance or matter through which a wave's energy propagates from one point to another.

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Example: This diagram shows a wave traveling through a medium (water). The circular arrows indicate that the water molecules themselves only move up and down, not with the wave.

Front

Transverse Wave Noun

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[trans-vurs weyv]

Back

Transverse Wave

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A wave in which the motion of particles in the medium is perpendicular to the direction of energy propagation.

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Example: This diagram shows a transverse wave, labeling its key parts: the highest point (crest), lowest point (trough), height from equilibrium (amplitude), and crest-to-crest distance (wavelength).

Front

S Wave Noun

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[es weyv]

Back

S Wave

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A type of transverse seismic wave produced during an earthquake, resulting from the shearing motion of rock.

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Example: This diagram shows that for an S wave, the particles (parts of the spring) move up and down, perpendicular to the direction the wave energy travels.

Front

Longitudinal Wave Noun

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[lon-ji-tood-n-uhl weyv]

Back

Longitudinal Wave

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A wave in which the motion of particles in the medium is parallel to the direction of energy propagation.

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Example: This diagram shows a longitudinal wave, where the particles (like the red dot) move back and forth parallel to the direction the wave energy is traveling.

Front

Compression Noun

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[kuhm-presh-uhn]

Back

Compression

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An area in a longitudinal wave where particles of the medium are pushed close together, resulting in high pressure.

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Example: This diagram shows a sound wave traveling through air, where 'Compression' is the area where the air molecules are pushed close together.

Front

Rarefaction Noun

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[rair-uh-fak-shuhn]

Back

Rarefaction

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An area in a longitudinal wave where particles of the medium are spread apart, resulting in low pressure.

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Example: This diagram shows a sound wave with areas where particles are spread apart, called rarefaction, which corresponds to a region of lower pressure.

Front

P Wave Noun

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[pee weyv]

Back

P Wave

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A type of longitudinal seismic wave from an earthquake, resulting from the back-and-forth motion of the ground.

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Example: A P wave is a longitudinal wave that travels by compressing and expanding the medium in the same direction the wave is moving.

Front

Amplitude Noun

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[am-pli-tood]

Back

Amplitude

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The maximum distance or displacement a particle in a medium moves from its equilibrium or resting position.

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Example: This diagram shows a wave and uses a vertical arrow to label the amplitude, which is the maximum distance the wave moves from its center line.

Front

Wavelength Noun

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[weyv-length]

Back

Wavelength

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The distance between successive corresponding points of a wave, such as from one crest to the next crest.

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Example: This diagram shows a wave and marks the wavelength as the distance from one point on the wave to the next identical point, like from crest to crest.