What is a Wave? The basics

ScienceClic
Dec 4, 2025
8 notes
8 Notes in this Video

Wave Propagation as a Traveling Disturbance

Wave Propagation Disturbance EnergyTransfer
0:10

Physics educators and students use the rope example to describe how a localized disturbance travels, and the video addresses learners who need a concrete entry point into wave behavior.

Atomic Spring Coupling in a Rope

AtomicModel Springs RestoringForce Coupling
0:38

The video frames the rope as a chain of atoms, and it addresses learners who want a microscopic explanation for how a macroscopic wave begins to travel.

Energy Transfer Along a Chain

EnergyTransfer MechanicalWave Oscillation Medium
1:46

The rope system highlights how energy moves, and the video speaks to students who confuse a moving pattern with the motion of the material itself.

Boundary Reflection of a Wave

Reflection BoundaryConditions WaveBehavior Constraint
2:15

The video uses a fixed rope end to show reflections, and it addresses learners who need boundary conditions to feel concrete in simple models.

Wave Superposition and Interference

Superposition Interference WaveAddition Amplitude
2:29

The video highlights what happens when two waves meet, and it addresses learners who need to see how multiple signals combine in real materials and experiments.

Wave Dimensions and Media

WaveGeometry Dimensionality Medium Propagation
2:50

The video maps waves to one-, two-, and three-dimensional forms, addressing learners who need to connect geometry with the kinds of waves found in daily life.

Electromagnetic Waves in Vacuum

Electromagnetism Fields Spectrum Vacuum
3:31

The video introduces electromagnetic waves for audiences moving beyond mechanical waves, and it references fields as the carriers rather than atoms or molecules in matter.

Gravitational Waves in Spacetime

GravitationalWaves Relativity Spacetime Astrophysics
4:04

The video points to general relativity for the highest-level wave example, addressing viewers who are ready to connect wave ideas to cosmic events in space physics.