Waves
If the wave oscillates more times per second, do the crests get closer?
One comparison at a time
Experiment with a guide
Separate a point’s oscillation from the profile’s propagation and compare amplitude, frequency and wavelength.
Comparison 1 of 3
Follow a point of the medium
Start with amplitude 1 m, frequency 1 Hz and speed 4 m/s. Play or advance time: the point at x = 2 m rises and falls without advancing horizontally.
One oscillation takes 1 s and two neighbouring crests are 4 m apart. The point does not follow the crest.
You are exploring other values. You can continue freely or apply this comparison’s values again.
How to read this drawing
x measures position along the medium and y measures displacement from equilibrium, both in metres, with different scales. The green curve is the profile at an instant. The lilac point remains at x = 2 m; the vertical line shows where it oscillates. λ compares positions at the same instant; T compares instants at the same point. The arrow indicates propagation to the right.
From drawing to graph
What changes? Let’s compare.
A line shows the relationship between quantities. The point marks your choice or the instant in the animation. First read the axis names and units.
One experiment at a time
Save. Change. Compare.
Save the current values, change one quantity and observe both lines on the same graph. The saved line is dashed. The attempt stays in this browser.
Compare the chosen values
What if… Double the frequency while keeping speed fixed. Compare the period and distance between crests. Then double the amplitude.
What is happening?
The wave carries a disturbance. Each point oscillates while the profile propagates to the right.
Amplitude is the greatest displacement from the equilibrium position. Frequency counts oscillations per second and period measures the time for one oscillation. Wavelength is the distance between two neighbouring crests. In a medium with the same propagation speed, increasing frequency reduces that distance.
A — amplitude (m) · f — frequency (Hz) · v — speed (m/s) · λ — wavelength (m) · T — period (s)
The model and its limits
Ideal transverse sinusoidal wave, without attenuation, propagating to the right: y = A sin[2π(x/λ − ft)]. The x and y axes have different scales. The marked point is fixed at x = 2 m and oscillates vertically; it does not travel with the wave.