What is amplitude

Ripples in water, sound traveling in air, and coordinated vibrations of objects are examples of waves you have probably encountered in your life. A good way to visualize a wave is to insert the end of a pencil into a container of still water. The surface of the water is disturbed, producing ripples, or waves. Electromagnetic waves, such as light, radio waves, microwaves, and x-rays, are special waves that do not require a medium for propagation. We cannot see or hear these waves, but they exist in nature and in many of the products we use every day. Regardless of the kind, every wave has an amplitude. Amplitude is the maximum displacement of points on a wave, which you can think of as the degree or intensity of change. This maximum displacement is measured from the equilibrium position. The following picture shows a diagram of a sine wave. The diagram shows amplitude and wavelength, which is the distance between two successive like points on a wave. Wavelength is like the distance between two adjacent peaks or two adjacent valleys. Stated another way, wavelength is the time required to complete one full cycle of the wave.