Imagine that you are standing on the shore of a small lake on a. There is no wind and the surface of the lake is as smooth as glass. If were to throw a small stone into the water, the calm is over. The water moves up and down around the point of impact and a wave spreads outwards in a circle. It moves outwards while oscillating up and down. The direction of propagation (outwards) and the oscillation (up and down) are perpendicular to each other. Such a wave is called a transverse wave. ![[wave.excalidraw.light.svg]] For the sake of simplicity, we are not drawing a wave on a pond here, but rather show a transverse wave on a rubber band. When the left end moves up and down, the band also oscillates up and down. The speed of propagation can be seen from the movement of wave crests and troughs. They move away from the left edge. The direction of propagation and oscillations are again perpendicular to each other. Another example of transverse waves is [[light]]. Waves are characterized by their [[Wavelength|wavelength]], [[Frequency|frequency]], [[Phase - Wave|phase]] and their propagation velocity. >[!read]- Further Reading >- [[Electromagnetic Wave]] >- [[Frequency]] >- [[Wave Function]] >[!ref]- References