Making Waves: What Really is a Wave?
March 21st, 2023 | Science
Olaf Schmied
Standing and Traveling Waves
When it comes to the natural world, there are plenty of examples of waves around us. The waves in the ocean, the light from the Sun, and the voice of our favorite speakers; all of these can be represented using a wave equation. While waves are simple enough to observe, what is a wave really? That answer is trickier than some might assume. This article will dive into the mathematics behind wave equations and how we can use math to understand the nature of waves.
Standing Wave, Lucas Vieira
The first thing that should be addressed is that there are two main types of waves: standing waves and traveling waves. The difference between the two deals primarily with how each wave propagates through space as a function of time. In the case of standing waves, there is no propagation, only oscillation of the wave amplitude as a function of time.
This means that as time continues, the wave amplitudes increase and decrease; however, the locations of the wave amplitudes do not change. Contrast this with traveling waves, and the difference between the two becomes clear. Traveling waves often possess constant amplitudes and are characterized by their velocity and wavelength.
While there are other differences between traveling waves and standing waves, they are beyond the scope of this article. The distinction between standing and traveling waves is just important because the rest of this article will deal exclusively with traveling waves.
The Wave Equation
To answer the question as to what is a wave, we must consult mathematics.