Wave Properties

Measuring Waves:

The frequency of a wave is the number of complete waves passing a point per second.
The amplitude of a wave is the maximum displacement of a vibrating particle.
The wavelength of a wave is the least distance between two adjacent vibrating particles with the same displacement and velocity at the same time.

The higher the frequency of a wave, the shorter its wavelength. The equation for
wave speed = frequency x wavelength

Wave Properties

Reflection - Straight waves directed at a certain angle to a hard flat surface reflect off at the same angle. The angle between the reflected wavefront and the surface is the same as the angle between the incident wavefront and the surface. The angle between the incident ray and the mirror is equal to the angle between the reflected ray and the mirror.

Refraction - When waves pass across a boundary at which the wave speed changes, the wavelength also changes. The direction of the refracted waves is closer to the normal than the directed of the incident waves. An example is, a light ray directing into a glass block. The light ray changes direction when it crosses the glass boundary. This happens because light waves travel more slowly in glass than in air.

Diffraction - This occurs when waves spread out after passing through a gap or around an obstacle. The effect can be seen in a ripple tank when straight waves are directed at a gap. The narrower the gap, the more the waves spread out. The longer the wavelength, the more the waves spread out.