Characteristics of Wave Motion

Characteristics of Wave Motion | What Are The Characteristics of Wave Motion :- The following are the key characteristics of wave motion :

1. In wave motion, the disturbance propagates through the medium as a result of the continuous periodic oscillations of the particles about their equilibrium positions.
2. Energy is transmitted from one point to another without any net transport of the particles of the medium.
3. For the propagation of a mechanical wave, the medium must possess inertia, elasticity, and negligible friction between its particles. That is why a mechanical wave can propagate only in a medium that has inertia to maintain oscillations, elasticity to provide the restoring force, and negligible friction to prevent rapid loss of energy.
4. Each particle of the medium acquires the disturbance slightly later than the preceding one, resulting in a definite and regular phase difference between successive particles.
5. The speed with which the wave travels through the medium is different from the speed of the particles that oscillate about their mean positions.
6. In a given medium, the wave velocity (also called phase velocity) remains constant, whereas the velocity of the particles (particle velocity) varies during oscillation—being maximum at the mean position and zero at the extreme positions.