General physicsLesson 6 of 6 in the course Oscillatory Motion and Waves

Wave Properties, Propagation, and Wave Types

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 4 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

A wave is a disturbance that propagates, or moves, from one place to another. A rock dropped into a pond creates a disturbance on the water’s surface. A speaker creates sound by producing changing air pressure, and earthquakes produce disturbances in Earth.

In each case, the wave is the traveling disturbance. The material through which a mechanical wave moves does not necessarily travel along with the wave. In deep-water waves, for example, water particles mostly move around their local positions while the wave’s energy travels forward. A floating bird may bob up and down as crests and troughs pass, without being carried forward at the wave’s speed.

All flashcards

Transverse wave
A wave whose disturbance is perpendicular to its direction of propagation.
Longitudinal wave
A wave whose disturbance is parallel to its direction of propagation.
Amplitude
The maximum displacement of a wave disturbance from its resting position.
P-wave
An earthquake compressional wave with longitudinal motion.
S-wave
An earthquake shear wave with transverse motion.

Quiz questions

  1. A wave travels horizontally along a string while the string moves vertically. How is this wave classified?Answer: Transverse, because the disturbance is perpendicular to propagation.
  2. In a longitudinal wave, how is the disturbance oriented relative to propagation?Answer: Parallel to the direction of propagation.
  3. Why are sound waves in fluids longitudinal?Answer: Fluids lack appreciable shear strength, so sound travels as pressure variations.
  4. What does the amplitude of a wave describe?Answer: The maximum displacement of the disturbance from its resting position.
  5. How can water-wave particle motion combine transverse and longitudinal characteristics?Answer: Water particles can move in paths with both vertical and horizontal components.

Based on College Physics 2e by Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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