Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Profile of a wave

My book states that a 'progressive wave is one whose profile moves through space, whereas a stationary wave has a static profile'.

er..what exactly do they mean by 'profile'? :redface:

Reply 1

Morbo

"Profile" is a a pretty meaningless word there, actually. It just means that wave moves through space! I suppose it is trying to get at what the wave looks like from side on (in profile), like a cross-section through the wavefronts.

A standing wave is e.g. on a guitar string. The standing wave on the string makes the string oscillate, but the wave remains where it is i.e. on the guitar, because it's held down to zero displacement at both ends.

A travelling wave is e.g. on a lake when you throw a stone in. The stone makes the inital displacement to start the wave, but then the wave moves off away from its source. If waves didn't travel, this would be a disaster because then light from the Sun would not be able to reach us, making life quite difficult.

Reply 2

alanis

are standing waves and stationary waves the same?

yes

thanks

that explanation for stationary waves also helped me understand them better!

Reply 5

~style

Me too. Stupid self study.

Reply 6

Mohit_C

It happens. :smile:

There's a question on the difference between a progressive and stationary wave in a past paper I came across. Make sure you know them, if not.......TSR is there for you!