ABSTRACT
The topic of this chapter is the analysis of waves. This chapter begins with an emphasis that the speed of mechanical wave is a function of the material (the medium) through which the wave is passing. The characteristics of a wave including the period, frequency, wavelength, and amplitude are introduced along with how these characteristics changed to match the speed of the wave set by the medium. The concepts of wave interference are introduced and applied to the understanding of the formation of standing waves. The parameters of a standing wave are also introduced and several examples are presented.
