What Are Waves? Breaking Down the Basics for Students

Have you ever felt like you are shouting into the void because your Wi-Fi dropped just as you were about to win that match on your video game console? Or maybe you have sat by the coast, watching the tide roll in, and you start wondering how a single splash on the other side of the world managed to travel all the way to your toes. The problem is, we are constantly surrounded by invisible forces that dictate how we see, hear, and communicate, yet most of us couldn’t explain how they actually move. That’s exactly what the world of “WAVES” explains. The tutors at our Physics tuition state that waves are the universe’s favourite way of getting things done without actually moving “stuff” from point A to point B, and today, we are going to break down the basics of this incredible concept for you!

The “Mexican Wave” Standpoint

To understand waves, you need to stop thinking about water for a second and think about a football stadium. When the crowd does a “Mexican Wave,” the people don’t actually leave their seats and run around the stadium; instead, they just stand up and sit down. The energy might move in a circle, but the matter (the fans) stays put.

In Physics, a wave is simply described as a disturbance that transfers energy through matter or space. Whether it’s light from a distant star or the sound of your favourite track, waves are the ultimate energy couriers.

Up, Down, and Side-to-Side

Every wave behaves in a different way, and we generally split them into two main personalities, including:

·         Transverse Waves: You can think of transverse waves like a skipping rope. The energy moves forward, but the rope moves up and down. For the transverse waves, light and radio waves are classic examples.

·         Longitudinal Waves: You can think of longitudinal waves as a slinky being pushed and pulled. The vibrations happen in the same direction as the wave travels, and one profound example of this is sound.