I know its hard me explaining:
In a problem I have it shows a picture of wave and shows the displacement from peak of one wave to the trough of the next.
The choices are
A: wavelength/2
B: wavelength
C: 2 X amplitude
D) period
E) period/2
It doesnt show the height for an amplitude. And I thought peak to peak would be wavelength. Not a horizontal displacement from one peak to the trough of the next.
Thank you for any help
Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. The following site explains the parts of a wave. Hopefully you will find something there to help you:
http://id.mind.net/~zona/mstm/physics/waves/partsOfAWave/waveParts.htm
To determine the answer to your question, we need to understand the concepts of wavelength, amplitude, and period in relation to a wave.
Firstly, the wavelength of a wave is the distance between two corresponding points on consecutive waves, such as from one crest to the next crest or from one trough to the next trough.
The amplitude of a wave, on the other hand, is the maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its equilibrium position. In other words, it measures the height or intensity of the wave.
Lastly, the period of a wave is the time it takes for one complete cycle of the wave to occur. It is measured in seconds.
Now, let's consider the problem at hand, where it asks for the displacement from the peak of one wave to the trough of the next. This is essentially asking for the height difference between a crest and a trough.
Knowing that the amplitude represents the maximum displacement of a wave, we can conclude that the displacement from the peak of one wave to the trough of the next is equal to two times the amplitude. This means that the correct choice is C) 2 X amplitude.
To recap:
- Wavelength refers to the distance between corresponding points on consecutive waves.
- Amplitude represents the maximum displacement or height of a wave.
- Period is the time it takes for one complete cycle of a wave.
I hope this clarifies the concepts and helps you understand how to approach this problem.