Wave Lab
Explore a transverse traveling wave with live phase and displacement measurements.
Explore the lab
What you can explore
- Amplitude and phase
Change A and phase to compare displacement height with the wave’s horizontal phase shift.
- Frequency and wavelength
Edit f and λ to inspect the derived speed v=fλ, period and wave number.
- Local displacement
Set the numeric probe position and use playback to inspect y(x,t) and local phase at a fixed point.
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The model
Formula and underlying model
y(x,t) = A sin(kx − ωt + φ)
k = 2π/λ; ω = 2πf; v = fλ; T = 1/f- A, y
- Amplitude and transverse displacement (m)
- x, λ
- Position and wavelength (m)
- f, T
- Frequency and period (Hz; s)
- k, ω
- Wave number and angular frequency (rad/m; rad/s)
- φ
- Phase offset; UI uses degrees (radians in formula)
- v, t
- Propagation speed and time (m/s; s)
Ideal transverse sine wave traveling along +x. Frequency and wavelength are editable; propagation speed is derived, not an independent input. The probe measures local oscillation, not a particle traveling with the wave.
The experiment
How it works
Define the wave
Set amplitude, frequency, wavelength and phase.
Advance the pattern
Play or scrub time to observe propagation along +x.
Inspect a fixed point
Use the x probe to compare local displacement and phase with the full curve.
Learning outcomes
What you’ll learn
- Connect frequency and wavelength to propagation speed.
- Distinguish traveling wave motion from local oscillation.
- Relate local phase to displacement at the probe.
Keep exploring
Related labs
Ready to experiment?
Explore Wave interactively
Open the lab, adjust the parameters, and see the results change in real time.