The Wave of energy transmission and its shape

[saidevo]

Vibration involves matter, force and energy. It is the matter that vibrates, under a force, and the vibration transmits energy.

The energy is transmitted or propagated in the form of a wave. A wave of energy has three attributes: frequency, amplitude and shape.

Frequency translates into color with light waves and pitch with sound waves. Waves of higher frequencies have shorter wavelengths.

Amplitude translates into voltage with electromagnetic waves in general, volume in audio waves, height in mechanical waves, and color, sound and motion when these forms of waves are combined, as in TV transmission.

The typical shape of a wave is the sine curve, which is the regular, wavy line we draw to represent a wave. Complex shapes are built by adding the basic, sinusoidal shapes with different frequencies and amplitudes.

I have some questions here:
1. Since there are many forms of energy (light, electricity, sound, etc.), is the wave-shape the sinusoidal in all cases? Why is it sinusoidal in the first place?

2. What about the waves generated on still water when a pebble is dropped? Why are these waves circular in shape?

3. Is it possible to change the shape of a wave, say by transforming the type of energy or otherwise?

[Jay-qu]

The sinusoidal wave shape may be of amplitude, its not always physically in this shape, it is called a transverse wave.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by saidevo

Amplitude translates into voltage with electromagnetic waves in general, volume in audio waves, height in mechanical waves, and color, sound and motion when these forms of waves are combined, as in TV transmission.

Actually TV signals are FM, not AM; that is frequency modulated not amplitude modulated.

Originally Posted by saidevo

The typical shape of a wave is the sine curve, which is the regular, wavy line we draw to represent a wave. Complex shapes are built by adding the basic, sinusoidal shapes with different frequencies and amplitudes.

I have some questions here:

2. What about the waves generated on still water when a pebble is dropped? Why are these waves circular in shape?

It's only circular from one perspective , that is 2 actually; straight down & straight up. If you look at a cross section the pond wave is sinusoidal & has a changing wavelength.
Waves change shape yes. For example a tsunami is long and low in the ocean , but rises high & shortens when it encounters the shoreline.
That is all I am allowed to say at this time.

[saidevo]

Thanks for the answers. I now undertand that

1. The shape of the wave is decided by its amplitude and depends on its type. With transverse waves, such as the electromagnetic waves, the shape is sinusoidal, whereas in the case of longitudinal waves (which are usually mechanical waves such as sound waves and the ripples on water surface) the shape tends to be circular. Ripples are actually a combination of both types of waves.

2. It is possible to modulate and change the shape of waves.