Waves Jack Brandes

 Waves are a disturbance in matter as the energy moves through the air, water, etc. The very top of the wave is the crest, while the very bottom is the trough. What Are Waves?

 Mechanical Waves  Transverse Waves  Longitudinal Waves  Surface Waves  Electromagnetic Waves Types of Waves

 Mechanical waves are waves that need a medium like air, a rope, or even water. There are three types of mechanical waves… Mechanical Waves

 Transverse wave’s particles go perpendicular to the wave motion. Perpendicular means straight up and down, or vertical.  A vibrating string on a guitar is an example of a transverse wave. A ripple in water is also a transverse wave. Transverse Waves

 A longitudinal wave is just about the opposite of a transverse wave.  A longitudinal wave particles travel parallel to the wave motion. Think of how a wave in a slinky would travel.  Sound waves are an example of longitudinal waves. Longitudinal Waves

 The third type of mechanical wave are surface waves. It is most commonly described through earthquakes on land and in water.  The surface wave’s close cousin is the body wave. The two together make up seismic waves.  The only differences between the two are that surface waves are of a lower frequency and travel through the earth’s crusts rather than through the interior, like body waves. Surface Waves and Body Waves

 Electromagnetic waves are different than mechanical waves. Electromagnetic waves are made when an electrical field meets with a magnetic field. Main examples are TV and radio waves. Here are some more… Electromagnetic Waves

Electromagnetic Spectrum  This is an example of the types of electromagnetic waves and their lengths.

 The waves you find in an ocean are mechanical waves because they travel on a medium, water. Like all wave they have a crest and a trough. The sun and moon’s gravity create waves, and tides. Ocean Waves

 Measuring waves can be done by finding the wave length, crest, trough and the amplitude. This is the amplitude past of a wave:  The number of vibrations per second is called the frequency and it is measured in hertz. (Hz) On a transverse wave, a period is how much time a point takes to come back to the first position. The green dot is the period in this picture: Measuring Waves

 s/waves.htm Use this to understand how waves work! s/waves.htm Wave Fun!