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Surface waves in water showing water ripples. In physics, mathematics, engineering, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. Periodic waves oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (resting) value at some frequency.
A periodic function, also called a periodic waveform (or simply periodic wave), is a function that repeats its values at regular intervals or periods. The repeatable part of the function or waveform is called a cycle. [1] For example, the trigonometric functions, which repeat at intervals of radians, are
While periodic travelling waves have been known as solutions of the wave equation since the 18th century, their study in nonlinear systems began in the 1970s. A key early research paper was that of Nancy Kopell and Lou Howard [1] which proved several fundamental results on periodic travelling waves in reaction–diffusion equations.
Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum and alternating current. Oscillations can be used in physics to approximate complex interactions, such ...
Wavelength depends on the medium (for example, vacuum, air, or water) that a wave travels through. Examples of waves are sound waves, light, water waves and periodic electrical signals in a conductor. A sound wave is a variation in air pressure, while in light and other electromagnetic radiation the strength of the electric and the magnetic ...
A sine, square, and sawtooth wave at 440 Hz A composite waveform that is shaped like a teardrop. A waveform generated by a synthesizer In electronics , acoustics , and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time.
In physics, acoustics, and telecommunications, a harmonic is a sinusoidal wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the fundamental frequency of a periodic signal. The fundamental frequency is also called the 1st harmonic; the other harmonics are known as higher harmonics.
A pulse wave or pulse train or rectangular wave is a non-sinusoidal waveform that is the periodic version of the rectangular function. It is held high a percent each cycle called the duty cycle and for the remainder of each cycle is low. A duty cycle of 50% produces a square wave, a specific case of a rectangular wave. The average level of a ...