Sound


Sound wave properties and characteristics



Sound waves are often simplified to a description in terms of sinusoidal plane waves, which are characterized by these generic properties:

    * Frequency, or its inverse, the period
    * Wavelength
    * Wavenumber
    * Amplitude
    * Sound pressure
    * Sound intensity
    * Speed of sound
    * Direction

Sometimes speed and direction are combined as a velocity vector; wavenumber and direction are combined as a wave vector.

Transverse waves, also known as shear waves, have the additional property, polarization, and are not a characteristic of sound waves.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound