How do I draw a graph for a progressive wave?

[Vaseline]

Hi I've been told to draw a graph for a progressive wave, using displacement on the y-axis, and distance from source of disturbance on the x-axis.

I have drawn one for displacement against time, but not sure how to do one for this.

I know that all the points on progressive waves have same amplitude and period of oscillation, but phase of oscillations varies as distance from source varies - but I don't really understand this.

 

[Redbelly98]

Do you have an equation for a progressive wave (also known as a traveling wave)? It seems that would be necessary in order to have been asked a question like this ... surely your textbook or lecture notes have the equation.

 

[nlightner]

I can provide some clarification and guidance on how to draw a graph for a progressive wave. A progressive wave is a type of wave that travels through a medium, carrying energy from one point to another. This type of wave is characterized by its amplitude, wavelength, and frequency.

To draw a graph for a progressive wave, you will need to plot the displacement on the y-axis and the distance from the source of disturbance on the x-axis. The displacement represents the magnitude of the wave at a particular point, while the distance from the source represents the location of that point along the wave.

The amplitude of a progressive wave remains constant at all points, so you can draw a horizontal line at a certain value on the y-axis to represent the amplitude. The wavelength, which is the distance between two consecutive points with the same displacement and phase, can be represented by the distance between two consecutive points on the x-axis.

The phase of oscillations refers to the position of a point on the wave relative to the starting position at the source. As the wave travels, the phase of oscillations changes, causing the displacement at a particular point to vary. This can be represented by drawing a curve on the graph that connects all the points with the same displacement.

Overall, the graph of a progressive wave will show a repeating pattern of the same amplitude and varying displacement and phase as distance from the source increases. I hope this helps in understanding and drawing a graph for a progressive wave.