UNIT OVERVIEW

In your previous work on transverse pulses, you learned that a pulse is a single disturbance travelling through a medium. Now imagine sending pulse after pulse in a continuous, rhythmic pattern. This creates a wave.

Waves are everywhere — from ripples on a pond to the light that lets you read this page. In this unit, you will learn how waves carry energy without carrying matter, and how to describe waves using precise scientific language.

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Define and identify key properties of transverse waves: wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and period
• Understand how these properties relate to each other and affect wave behaviour
• Apply the wave equation $v = f\lambda$ to solve problems
• Analyse wave diagrams and extract quantitative information
• Connect wave concepts to everyday phenomena

Where you see transverse waves in daily life:

1. Stadium Mexican Waves — When fans stand and sit in sequence, the "wave" travels around the stadium, but each fan stays in their seat. Energy moves; people don't.