Skip to content

Wave Properties

Displacement is the distance from the equilibrium position in a particular direction. It can have a positive or negative value. The amplitude is the maximum displacement from the equilibrium position. The amplitude is always given as a positive value. The wavelength is the minimum distance between two points in phase on adjacent waves e.g. the distance from one peak to the next. The wavelength is measured in metresThe time period of oscillation is the time taken for one complete oscillation or the time taken for one wavelength to move past a given point. The time period is measured in seconds. The frequency is the number of wavelengths passing a given point per unit time. The frequency is measured in hertz. The frequency is related to the time period by: f = 1/T. The wave speed is the distance travelled by the wave per unit time. The wave speed is measured in metres per second (ms-1)The Wave EquationThe wave equation states that:v = f λ
Where v is the wave speed, λ is the wavelength and f is the frequency of the wave.

Read the text

Read the text and highlight anything you think is important. When you go on, the text is hidden and you answer from memory.

Specification: OCR Physics A (H156), AS-level, 4.4.1 Wave motion. Topic: Waves.

Key terms in this lesson

energy
The capacity of a system to do work.
potential difference
The work done, or energy transferred, per unit charge as charge moves between two points in a circuit.
photon
A discrete packet, or quantum, of electromagnetic energy.

More in Waves

All 15 lessons in Waves · All OCR AS-level Physics topics