Waves and wave motion

What are waves? They can be described briefly as disturbances in a medium which transfer energy and information from point A to point B.^* The key fact is that no physical object actually travels from point A to point B --- and yet both energy and information make the trip.

^* Yes, yes, light waves require no medium and can travel through a vacuum. They are a special case.

As we will see, the mathematical description of waves should look very familiar to you, now that you have been studying simple harmonic motion.

Now, one very common type of wave occurs when a long, thin wire or cord is stretched under some tension, and then jiggled, or plucked, or perturbed.

One of the most important properties of waves is that they carry energy from one location to another.

You can create some simulated waves and measure their properties ...

Use physlets to create and characterize waves

In case we have time ...