Waves!

When most people hear the word waves their first thought would probably be an ocean wave. An ocean wave is a type of wave however there are other types of waves as well. The two most known waves are Transverse Wave and Longitudinal Wave. A Transverse Wave are waves that move the medium at right angles to the direction in which the wave is traveling. If you have ever seen a Transverse Wave you might motice that it is moving sideways. This is so, because the word transverse means "across." A Transverse Wave has many important parts but there are two parts to this wave that describes its motion, the crest and trough. The crest is considered the highest point of the Transverse Wave. The trough is known as the lowest point. Next, a Lonitudinal Wave moves the medium parallel to the direction in which the wave is moving. (A medium is the material through which a wave travels.) Also, like the Transverse Wave the Longitudinal Wave has to parts to describe its motion, compression and rarefraction. Lets say a spring is our Longitudinal Wave, when the coils are close together this shows compression. When the coils are spread apart it is called rarefraction. Speaking about springs there are many ways you can see waves in your everyday life. Here are some interesting facts about waves!

Fact 1:

The most basic properties of all waves include wavelength, amplitude, and frequency. All these properties are related to each other is a mathematical formula. The formula is...

Speed= Wavelength x Frequency

In addition if you know about two of these properties and you want to find out about the third one you can also use math...

Frequency= Speed over wavelength

Wavelength= Speed over Frequency

See Science and Math go hand in hand!

Fact 2:

As I said before waves are seen everywhere. For example, waves can be seen in the sport gymnastics. In gymnastics some people use ribbons. ( ribbon dancers) These ribbons are attached to a stick and when the dancer twirls the stick the ribbon makes waves. However, it's not the ribbon thats creating the wave it's the dancer. The dancer is giving their energy to the ribbon, the ribbon is not able to stay still so therefore it is able to form a wave. This wave would be called a Transverse Wave.

Fact 3:

Most waves have mediums, however, some waves don't need them. Waves that require a medium are Mechanical Waves. Waves that can travel without a medium are known as Electromagnetic Waves.


From learning about the many types of waves I have experienced a lot. I know that waves form from energy. Energy from us, nature, and other items. In addition, we can see, hear, and touch waves. Now I know that there are more types of waves then just the ocean waves!

To learn more about waves visit these two sites...

http://id.mind.net/~zona/mstm/physics/waves/waves.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/10796/ch8/ch8.htm