Wave length: The distance traveled by the wave during the time at which any particle of the medium completes one vibration about its mean position is called the wavelength. It is also defined as the distance between any two, the nearest particles of the medium vibrating in the same phase. So, the distance between two successive crests or troughs is equal to one wave length.
Frequency: The number of oscillations completed by the particles of the medium in one second is called the frequency of the wave. It is denoted by f.
Period: The time taken by a vibrating particle in the medium to complete one oscillation is called the period of the wave. It may be defined as the time interval in which the motion of an oscillation particle begins to repeat itself. The period of a wave is denoted by T.
Wave velocity: The distance traveled by a wave in one second is called wave velocity, denoted by v.
Phase: The state of motion of a particle at a given place and time is called the phase of the wave at that point and time. The state of motion of a vibrating particle means "where is the particle" and "what its direction of motion is". It is measured in terms of angle called as phase angle.
Characteristics of Wave Motion
a. Wave motion is the disturbance travelling through a medium.
b. When a disturbance is produced in a medium, the disturbed particles vibrate about their mean positions.
c. Particles hand over their energy to their neighbors through the disturbance, but their net displacement over one period is zero.
d. The energy transfer in the medium takes place with a constant speed, which depends on the nature of the medium.
e. As the disturbance reaches to a particle, it starts to vibrate. As the disturbance is communicated to the next neighbor a little latter, there is a phase difference in the vibrating motion of the consecutive particles.
f. The wave velocity is different than the particle velocity of the medium.
g. The wave motion is possible in a medium which posses the property of elasticity and inertia.
h. Particle velocity is a function of time, so it is different in different points of a displacement. But wave velocity is constant in a medium.
i. Vibrating particles of the medium posses both kinetic and potential energies.
Types of wave
There are two type of wave in terms of mode of vibration of the particles: transverse wave and longitudinal wave.
Transverse wave: The wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate about their mean position perpendicularly to the direction of propagation of the wave is called the transverse wave. Few examples of transverse waves are the wave produced in a plucked string, electromagnetic wave, waves on the surface of water.
Propagation of Transverse Wave
To understand the propagation of a transverse wave, suppose nine particles of a medium, numbered as 1 to 9 lying, at equal distances at the mean positions. When a wave travels from left to right, the particles vibrate up and down about their mean positions and the disturbance travel from the first particle to nine particles.
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