Wave Motion in a Vibrating String

Waves are familiar to us all--such as ocean waves, sound waves, light waves, and waves in a string. Waves may appear to be traveling or appear to be standing still. There are those being transported by a medium as for the ocean or in a guitar string and those that travel best through empty space such as the electromagnetic spectrum including visible light. Waves are a common means by which energy is transmitted in our physical world--the energy of the sun reaching and heating the earth, a clap of thunder vibrating our eardrums, or a vibration traveling down a string and back again.