Transverse wave simulator
Drag the sliders and watch the wave respond instantly. The dots are particles of the medium — notice they only ever move up and down, while the wave pattern itself travels to the right.
This simulator needs JavaScript enabled. The physics still works without it — see the labeled wave diagram for a static version.
What each control changes
The simulator draws the standard travelling wave equation, y = A·sin(2π(x/λ − ft)). Each slider changes one term in it.
For the physics behind what you are watching, see the guide to longitudinal waves or the side-by-side comparison, which runs both wave types off a single shared phase.
Amplitude (A)
How far the medium is displaced from its rest position. Raising it makes the crests taller and the troughs deeper, but it does not change how fast the wave travels. Energy scales with amplitude squared, so doubling it carries four times the energy.
Wavelength (λ)
The distance from one crest to the next. Shrinking it packs more cycles into the same space. With frequency held fixed, a shorter wavelength means a slower wave, because v = fλ.
Frequency (f)
How many complete cycles pass a fixed point each second, in hertz. Raising it makes the wave move faster and shortens the period, since T = 1/f.
Five things worth testing
- Set frequency to 1 Hz and watch the tracked particle: it completes exactly one up-and-down trip per second, while the pattern keeps moving right.
- Double the amplitude and notice the wave speed readout does not budge — amplitude carries energy, not speed.
- Halve the wavelength while keeping frequency fixed and watch the speed readout halve with it.
- Turn on the longitudinal comparison and look at the two together: the top wave moves the medium sideways, the bottom one bunches it along the direction of travel.
- Pause the animation at a crest and trace straight down to the dashed rest line — that vertical gap is the amplitude.
Simulator questions
What does this transverse wave simulator show?
It draws a travelling transverse wave built from the equation y = A·sin(2π(x/λ − ft)). The dots are particles of the medium: they only move up and down, perpendicular to the direction the wave travels, while the wave pattern itself moves to the right.
Why doesn't the wave speed change when I increase amplitude?
Wave speed is set by the medium and by the relationship v = fλ, not by how hard you shake it. A bigger amplitude carries more energy (energy is proportional to amplitude squared) but travels at exactly the same speed.
How is wave speed calculated here?
The simulator uses the universal wave equation, v = f × λ. Whatever frequency and wavelength you dial in, the speed readout is simply their product, shown in metres per second.
What is the difference between the transverse and longitudinal views?
In the transverse view the particles oscillate at right angles to the wave's travel. In the longitudinal view they oscillate back and forth along the same line the wave travels, creating compressions and rarefactions instead of crests and troughs.