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Course: Middle school physics > Unit 4
Lesson 1: Wave propertiesWave properties
Review your understanding of wave properties in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.
Key points:
- A wave is a repeating disturbance that travels through matter or space transferring only energy.
- Below is a model of a wave.
- A wave’s crest is its highest point, and its trough is its lowest point.
- A wave’s amplitude is the maximum distance (positive or negative) a wave reaches from its rest position.
- Wavelength is the distance between the same spot on two sections of a wave.
- A wave’s frequency can be measured by how many crests (or how many troughs) pass a location in a certain amount of time.
- A wave with a larger frequency has more energy. If a wave’s frequency doubles, its energy also doubles.
- A wave’s energy is proportional to the square of its amplitude. So, if a wave’s amplitude doubles, its energy increases by four times, because
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Want to join the conversation?
- Is there a certain name for the starting point of a wave?(39 votes)
- is it the period?(4 votes)
- What ocean has waves with the higest frequency?(18 votes)
- not that type of wave bro(47 votes)
- why does the wave go up and down?(9 votes)
- Doesn't have to. Depends on how the energy is moving.(20 votes)
- What gives the wave energy(9 votes)
- A wave is one way of how energy travels, so the wave is energy itself. How the energy travels as a wave, such as its velocity, depends on the type of energy however. A pulse of electromagnetic energy, for example, such as lighting, will travel at a higher frequency than that of sound energy.(15 votes)
- can a wave length be measured(8 votes)
- Yes. There are special devices to do so.(12 votes)
- Why are hearing aids made of plastic (ignore this question)? Is it possible if we put aluminum in the form of a hearing aid in the ear that we will hear better?(7 votes)
- Not to be an answer....(9 votes)
- how many sound waves does an a hearing aid produce(9 votes)
- Keep in mind that hearing aids can only address hearing loss in the frequency range below 8,000Hz. They're best at amplifying the volume within that range, but only as long as you can actually hear those frequencies(5 votes)
- I like turtles. They are cool.(5 votes)
- Sorry my younger brother was tipping.(6 votes)
- Frequency is how many crests (or how many troughs) pass a location per second not vaguely "in a certain amount of time" as per the official definition.(6 votes)
- i get it but my head(7 votes)