JEE Main & Advanced Physics Wave Mechanics Characteristics of Wave Motion

(1) When a wave motion passes through a medium, particles of the medium only vibrate simple harmonically about their mean position. They do leave their position and move with the disturbance.

(2) In wave motion, the phase of particles of medium keeps on changing.

(3) The velocity of the particle during their vibration is different at different position.

(4) The velocity of wave motion through a particular medium is constant. It depends only on the nature of medium not on the frequency, wavelength or intensity.

(5) Energy is propagated along with the wave motion without any net transport of the medium.

(6) For the propagation of wave, a medium should have following characteristics.

(i) Elasticity : So that particles can return to their mean position, after having been.

(ii) Inertia : So that particles can store energy and overshoot their mean position.

(iii) Minimum friction amongst the particles of the medium.

(iv) Uniform density of the medium.