A wave is a disturbance that travels through a medium, transferring energy from one point to another without permanently displacing the medium itself.
In a transverse wave, the particles of the medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the wave's motion. In a longitudinal wave, the particles vibrate parallel to the direction of the wave's motion.
The frequency of a wave is inversely proportional to its wavelength. This means that as the frequency increases, the wavelength decreases, and vice versa. This relationship is described by the equation f = c/λ, where f is frequency, c is the speed of the wave, and λ is wavelength.
The principle of superposition states that when two or more waves meet, the resulting displacement at any point is equal to the sum of the individual displacements caused by each wave. This is why we can observe interference patterns when waves overlap.
The amplitude of a wave is directly proportional to its energy. This means that as the amplitude increases, so does the energy of the wave. This is because the amplitude represents the maximum displacement of particles in the medium, which is directly related to the amount of energy being transferred by the wave.