When a wave has passed down a rope, the rope is still there. It is not carried along with the wave. It is energy that has been transferred from one end of the rope to another. A wave in a rope is an example of a mechanical wave. Mechanical waves disturb material by making particles oscillate to and fro. Energy is transferred between the particles as they oscillate. In a similar way electromagnetic waves transfer energy from one place to another but not by oscillating particles. They oscillate electric and magnetic fields. Light is an electromagnetic wave. Other examples are X-rays, gamma rays, microwaves and radiowaves.
WAVELENGTH is the distance from one wave peak to the next peak.
AMPLITUDE is the height of wave peak (which is the same as the depth of a wave trough). The bigger the amplitude the greater the energy transferred.
FREQUENCY is the number of complete waves passing a point in one second and is measured in hertz (Hz). (1Hz = 1 wave per second).
WAVESPEED = FREQUENCY X WAVELENGTH
All electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed (the speed of light) through a vacuum. The behaviour of the electromagnetic radiation depends upon the wavelength and its associated energy and how it interacts with the material.
Site last updated February 16, 2012 @ 9:33 am
