Low Frequency and High Frequency Wave Trains

A slow, steady side-to-side movement of the Slinky™ at one end generates a transverse wave train that moves along the Slinky™. Here the demonstrator moves her hand from side to side relatively slowly — with a low frequency — and the resulting wave peaks are relatively far apart — the wavelength (the distance between successive peaks on the same side of the Slinky™) is long. Friction between the Slinky™ and the table top causes "damping" — the wave amplitude (the height of wave peaks) diminishes as the wave moves down the table and the energy carried by the wave is dissipated through frictional losses.

A faster side-to-side movement of the Slinky™ at one end generates a transverse wave train that moves along the Slinky™. Here the demonstrator moves her hand from side to side relatively rapidly — with a high frequency — and the resulting wave peaks are relatively close together — the wavelength (the distance between successive peaks on the same side of the Slinky™) is short. There is an inverse relationship between wave frequency and wavelength — higher frequency waves have shorter wavelengths and lower frequency waves have longer wavelengths.