Interactive simulations for science teaching
400 downloadable interactive simulations
Progressive wave
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- Summary
A wave transfers a disturbance from one part of a material to another. In the ideal case, we can say:
- The disturbance propagates through the material without any overall motion of the material itself.
- The disturbance propagates without distortion of the wave form.
- The disturbance propagates with constant speed.
The progressive sine wave, among all the wave forms, is a very useful case for study.
A chronometer is available for evaluation of the wave’s velocity. The navigation buttons enable you to go forward or in reverse, step by step. You can also determine the period (frequency) and the wavelength of the wave in the case of a sinusoidal excitation.
- Learning objectives
- To illustrate 2 kinds of progressive waves.
- To define the main characteristics of a sine wave.
- How to use the animation
Click on
to play the applet or on 
and 
to go back or forth step by step.
- Keywords
- sinusoidal, waves, motion, transverse, pulsation, period, frequency, Velocity, speed, wavelength, pulse, impulse, propagation
- Share your ideas with us!
- Share your ideas with us!