Longitudinal Waves in a Toy Spring

This simulation shows a longitudinal wave — a wave where particles move parallel to the direction the wave travels.
Adjust the frequency and amplitude to observe how the wave changes.

 

  1. Move the “Frequency” slider to change how many compressions (waves) pass each second.

    • Higher frequency = waves are closer together.

    • Measured in Hertz (Hz).

  2. Move the “Amplitude” slider to change how tightly packed the compressions are.

    • Bigger amplitude = compressions are more tightly squished and rarefactions more spread out.

    • This means more energy is in the wave.

    • In this simulation, amplitude is measured in centimeters (cm).

  3. Use the “Pause” button to freeze the wave and examine it more closely.

  • Longitudinal Wave- A wave where particles move parallel to the direction the wave travels.

  • Amplitude – the maximum distance particles in the medium move from their rest position.
    In a longitudinal wave, it shows how much the medium is compressed or spread out as the wave passes.
    Greater amplitude means more compression and rarefaction — and more energy in the wave.

  • Frequency- The number of waves (compressions) that pass a point in one second.
    • Higher frequency = waves are closer together and happen more often.
    • Units: Hertz (Hz) , 1 Hz = 1 wave per second.

  • Wavelength- In longitudinal waves, the wavelength is the distance between one compression and the next compression.
    • Units: centimeters (cm), meters (m), or other distance units.

  • Compression- The part of a longitudinal wave where particles (or coils, in a spring) are pushed close together.
  • Rarefaction- The part of a longitudinal wave where particles (or coils) are spread farther apart.
Longitudinal Wave Simulator
2 Hz
3.0 cm
Wavelength: 50.0 cm

The speed of the wave in the toy spring is 100 cm/s.

Launch Transverse Wave Toy Spring Simulation