Signal Sleuths: Uncovering Radio Frequency Interference
Transverse Waves
To help understand the characteristics of a transverse wave, imagine the waves you see on the ocean when you’re standing on the beach. Even though ocean waves aren’t exactly the same as electric or magnetic waves, they have some things in common that make them a good example. The part of the wave you can see above the water is called the crest (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The crest of an ocean wave has been marked on this image.
The distance between any two crests is called the wavelength (Figure 2).
Figure 2: The wavelength between two wave crests is marked on this image.
Now let’s think about the frequency of a wave. Imagine you’re standing on a pier. At first, the waves come in slowly—maybe one every minute. This is low frequency, and the waves have a long wavelength (the distance between the crests). As the wind picks up, the waves come more quickly, maybe four per minute. Now, the frequency is higher, and the waves are closer together, so the wavelength is shorter. This shows how wavelength and frequency are connected: the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength.
This work is funded through NSF Award # 2232159
