The maximum displacement of particles in oscillation from a position of stable equilibrium. For an ocean wave, amplitude is the distance from either the crest or the trough to the level that the ocean would maintain if it were perfectly still.
A type of interference that occurs when two or more waves combine in such a way that they produce a wave whose amplitude is greater than that of the original waves. If waves are perfectly in phase—in other words, if the crest and trough of one exactly meets the crest and trough of the other—then the resulting amplitude is the sum of the individual amplitudes of the separate waves.
In oscillation, a cycle occurs when the oscillating particle moves from a certain point in a certain direction, then switches direction and moves back to the original point. Typically, this is from the position of stable equilibrium to maximum displacement and back again to the stable equilibrium position. In a wave, a cycle is equivalent to the movement from trough to crest and back to trough.
A type of interference that occurs when two or more waves combine to produce a wavewhose amplitude is less than that of the original waves. If waves are perfectly out of phase—in other words, if the trough of one exactly meets the crest of the other, and vice versa—their amplitudes cancelout, and the result is no wave at all.
In wave motion, frequency is the number of waves passing through a given point during the interval of one second. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength. Frequency is mathematically related to wave speed and period.
The repeated movement of a particle about a position of equilibrium, or balance.
A unit for measuring frequency, named after nineteenth-century German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857-1894). High frequencies are expressed in terms of kilohertz (kHz; 10 3 or 1,000 cycles per second) or megahertz (MHz; 10 6 or 1 million cycles per second.)
The combination of two or more waves at a given point in space to produce a wave whose properties are determined by the properties of the individual waves. This accords with the principle of superposition.
A wave in which the movement of vibration is in the same direction as the wave itself. This is contrasted to a transverse wave.
For an object in oscillation, maximum displacement is the furthest point from stable equilibrium.
A type of wave—for example, a wave on the ocean—that involves matter. The matter itself may move in place, but as with all types of wave motion, there is no net movement of matter—only of energy.
A type of harmonic motion, typically periodic, in one or more dimensions.
For wave motion, a period is the amount of time required to complete one full cycle. Period is mathematically related to frequency, wavelength, and wave speed.
Motion that is repeated at regular intervals. These intervals are known as periods.
A wave in which a uniform series of crests and troughs follow one after the other in regular succession.
When two waves of the same frequency and amplitude are perfectly aligned, they are said to be in phase.
A physical principle stating that when several individual, but similar, physical events occur in close proximity to one another, the resulting effect is the sum of the magnitude of the separate events. Interference is an example of superposition.
An isolated, non-periodic disturbance that takes place in wave motion of a type other than that of a periodic wave.
The condition in which force is applied to an object in oscillation at the point of maximum amplitude.
A position in which, if an object were disturbed, it would tend to return to its original position. For an object in oscillation, stable equilibrium is in the middle of a cycle, between two points of maximum displacement.
A wave that exhibits the behavior of both a transverse wave and a longitudinal wave.
A wave in which the vibration or motion is perpendicular to the direction in which the wave is moving. This is contrasted to a longitudinal wave.
The distance between a crest and the adjacent crest, or the trough and an adjacent trough, of a wave. Wavelength, abbreviated λ (the Greek letter lambda) is mathematically related to wave speed, period, and frequency.
A type of harmonic motion that carries energy from one place to another, without actually moving anymatter.
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