Wave Basics
About this simulation
This simulation lets you explore how waves carry energy through a medium without permanently moving the medium itself. In transverse mode, particles oscillate perpendicular to the direction the wave travels — like a rope shaken at one end. In longitudinal mode, particles compress and expand back and forth along the same direction the disturbance moves — like sound through air.
One particle in the medium is tracked and highlighted in orange. Watch it bob up and down (transverse) or slide left and right (longitudinal) while the overall wave pattern propagates steadily to the right. This is the core insight: the medium oscillates locally while the energy and disturbance travel onward. Sliders let you tune frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and wave speed independently, with the relationship v = f × λ enforced in real time.
Learning goals
- Distinguish transverse wave motion (perpendicular displacement) from longitudinal wave motion (parallel displacement)
- Describe how changing frequency affects the number of cycles visible across the canvas and the wave speed relationship
- Describe how changing amplitude affects particle displacement without changing wave speed or wavelength
- Identify wavelength visually as the peak-to-peak distance, and relate it to frequency using v = fλ
- Explain that individual medium particles oscillate around a fixed equilibrium position and do not travel with the wavefront
How to use
- Click Launch simulation to open the full interactive sim in a new page
- Use the Wave Type toggle to switch between transverse and longitudinal modes
- Drag the Frequency, Amplitude, or Wavelength sliders and observe how the wave and the v = fλ equation update
- Click Pause to freeze the animation — the wavelength marker bracket appears so you can measure peak-to-peak distance
- Use the Highlighted particle slider to move the tracked particle to any position in the medium and observe its motion relative to the wave