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Waves
A wave is a travelling disturbance that transfers energy through space or a medium without transporting matter over large distances. Waves are described by wavelength, the distance between repeating points; frequency, the number of cycles per second; amplitude, the size of the disturbance; and speed, which equals frequency multiplied by wavelength. Mechanical waves such as sound and water waves need a medium, whereas electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum.
All waves share characteristic behaviours. Reflection sends a wave back from a boundary, refraction bends it as it changes speed entering a new medium, and total internal reflection traps light within a denser medium when it strikes a boundary at a shallow angle. When waves overlap they interfere, reinforcing where they are in step and cancelling where they are out of step. The electromagnetic spectrum arranges electromagnetic waves by wavelength, from radio waves through visible light to X-rays and gamma rays, all moving at the speed of light in a vacuum.
Seismic waves illustrate wave physics on a planetary scale. Earthquakes generate two main body waves: primary (P) waves, which are longitudinal and travel fastest, arriving first; and secondary (S) waves, which are transverse and slower and cannot pass through liquids. Seismometers record their arrival times, and comparing them lets scientists locate earthquakes and probe the layered internal structure of the Earth.
Frequently asked questions
- How are frequency, wavelength and wave speed related?
- Wave speed equals frequency multiplied by wavelength. For a fixed speed, a higher frequency means a shorter wavelength and vice versa.
- What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
- It is the full range of electromagnetic waves ordered by wavelength, from radio waves and microwaves through visible light to ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays.
- What is the difference between P and S seismic waves?
- P waves are longitudinal, travel fastest and arrive first, and can pass through liquids. S waves are transverse, slower, and cannot travel through liquids.
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Waves 
related topics:
Sound, Optics, Electricity,
EMW (part of electronics) |
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Acoustic waves |
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Diffraction |
| Diffraction: thin
films interference |
| Electromagnetic spectrum
chart electromagnetic spectrum chart |
| Electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic spectrum explained |
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Electromagnetic spectrum |
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Electromagnetic spectrum
radio waves, microwaves, infra red, the visible spectrum, ultra violet, gamma
rays, x-rays |
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Electromagnetic waves |
| Golven en trillingen
pdf file |
| Interference
Interference of waves explained |
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Mechanical oscillations and waves |
| Optical
instruments |
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Properties of light |
| Reflection and
refraction of light |
| Reflection and refraction |
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Reflection and refraction |
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Reflection of electromagnetic waves |
| Ripple tank |
| Ripple tank
a ripple tank is a shallow glass tank of water used in schools and colleges to
demonstrate the basic properties of waves |
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Ripple tank wave phenomena plane waves off of a parabolic reflector, law of reflection, circular reflections off of a straight
barrier, two-point source interference, diffraction, refraction (refraction is the bending of a wavefront resulting from a change in medium) |
| Seismic
waves seismic waves are transmitted through the Earth |
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Standing waves standing waves and acoustic resonance |
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Standing waves
two waves with the same frequency, wavelength, and amplitude traveling in
opposite directions will interfere and produce standing waves |
| Strings, standing waves
and harmonics sound |
| Transverse and
longitudinal waves pdf file |
| Vibrations and waves
if any object is displaced slightly from equilibrium it will oscillate about its equilibrium position in what is called simple harmonic motion. The most common
examples are a mass on a spring, and a simple pendulum |
| Wave basics:
transverse and longitudinal wave pdf file |
| Wave
propagations animations illustrating simple wave propagation concepts by a geologist |
| Wave properties of
light |
| Waves
what waves do,
types of wave, wave definitions, sound, ultrasound, electro magnetic spectrum, reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, seismic waves, earthquakes, S
and P waves, seismometers |
| Waves
waves, transverse, longitudinal, amplitude, wavelength, frequency, Hertz, reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, constructive,
destructive, standing waves, sound, speed of sound |
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Waves
mechanical waves. These are waves that move through some physical medium like
air, water, strings, earth, etc. Light and radio waves are not mechanical waves;
they are waves in the electromagnetic field. While electromagnetic waves obey
many of the same principles as mechanical waves they do have some important
differences,
Superposition of waves |
| Waves
standing waves, wave reflection, wave refraction, wave interference, speed of waves, travelling waves |
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Waves and light |
| Visible spectrum
visible light is made up of electromagnetic waves, vibrations of electric and
magnetic fields that propagate through space. In contrast to slow-moving ocean
waves to which they are analagous, electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of
light: 300 million meters per second |
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Last updated on:
2026-06-24
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