Question

what are the fundamental measures of a wave and how do they relate to each other

Answer 1

Question#8468

What are the fundamental measures of a wave and how do they relate to each other?

Answer:

The fundamental measures of a wave are:

The is **period** $T$ the time for one complete cycle of an oscillation of a wave.

The **frequency** $f$ is the number of periods per unit time (per second) and is typically measured in hertz. These are related by:

$$f = \frac {1}{T}$$

The **angular frequency** $\omega$ represents the frequency in radians per second. It is related to the frequency or period by

$$\omega = 2 \pi f = \frac {2 \pi}{T}$$

The **wavelength** $\lambda$ of a sinusoidal waveform traveling at constant speed $\pmb{v}$ is given by:

$$\lambda = \frac {v}{f}$$

where $\pmb{v}$ is called the phase **speed of the wave** and $f$ is the wave's frequency.

**Amplitude of the wave** - maximum distance from the highest point of the disturbance in the medium (the crest) to the equilibrium point during one wave cycle.