Waves Concepts
14 concepts · Grades 6-8, 9-12 · 23 prerequisite connections
Waves carry energy without carrying matter. A ripple on a pond, the sound of a guitar string, and the light from a phone screen are all wave phenomena. Students learn the universal wave properties — wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed — then see how these properties explain reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference. The wave family connects to sound (longitudinal waves), light (electromagnetic waves), and the full electromagnetic spectrum from radio to gamma rays.
This family view narrows the full physics map to one connected cluster. Read it from left to right: earlier nodes support later ones, and dense middle sections usually mark the concepts that hold the largest share of future work together.
Use the graph to plan review, then use the full concept list below to open precise pages for definitions, examples, formulas, and related guides.
Concept Dependency Graph
Concepts flow left to right, from foundational to advanced. Hover to highlight connections. Click any concept to learn more.
Connected Families
Waves concepts have 5 connections to other families.
All Waves Concepts
Waves
A disturbance that transfers energy through space or a medium without transferring matter.
Wavelength
Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive identical points on a wave, such as from one peak to the next peak or one trough to the next trough, measured in metres.
Frequency
The number of complete wave cycles that pass a fixed point per second, measured in hertz (Hz).
Amplitude
The maximum displacement of a wave from its equilibrium (rest) position, measuring the wave's strength or intensity.
Wave Speed
The speed at which a wave pattern propagates through a medium, determined by the medium's properties.
Transverse Wave
A wave where the medium oscillates perpendicular to the direction of wave travel.
Longitudinal Wave
A wave where the medium oscillates parallel to the direction of wave travel, forming compressions and rarefactions.
Sound
A longitudinal wave that travels through a medium via compressions and rarefactions.
Electromagnetic Waves
Waves of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that can travel through a vacuum.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The complete continuum of all electromagnetic waves, organized in order of increasing frequency (or decreasing wavelength).
Diffraction
The spreading out of waves as they pass through a narrow opening or bend around the edges of an obstacle.
Interference
The superposition of two or more waves that overlap in space, producing a combined wave pattern with new amplitudes.
Doppler Effect
The change in observed frequency of a wave that occurs when the source and the observer are moving relative to each other.
Period
The time required for one complete cycle of a repeating wave or oscillation to occur, measured in seconds.