Wave Basics

What is a wave? The most common answer might involve water. A physicist may give the answer below.

A wave is associated with a disturbance and energy transfer. A disturbance requires energy, and the energy of the disturbance propagates the wave (makes the wave move forward) through a medium. A medium is the material that the wave moves in. This could mean water for an ocean wave. This could mean air for a sound wave. It even could mean the earth we stand on for a seismic wave.

All of this information put together means this: A wave is a disturbance that propogates through a medium.

There are two types of waves.

There are transverse waves in which the disturbance is at a 90 degree angle to the direction of the motion of the wave. This is the "classic" view of a wave. The ocean waves that surfers ride are examples of transverse waves.
	The second type of wave is a longitudinal or compression wave. The disturbance in a longitudinal wave is parallel to the direction of motion of the wave. If you stretched a slinky and pushed in one end it would create a longitudinal wave. Sound is another example of a longitudinal wave.

Waves move forward with a certain speed. Wave velocity or speed is calculated by dividing the distance the wave moves forward by the time it took the wave to travel that distance.

What are the different parts of waves? Click Here to find out.