Graphs of transverse and longitudinal waves

There are two types of graphs which can be used to represent waves:

➔ Displacement-distance graphs - these show how the displacement of a particle varies with the distance of wave travel and can be used to measure wavelength.

For a transverse wave, the displacement distance graph will look very similar to the actual wave, whereas for a longitudinal wave the graph will look very different from the wave.

➔ Displacement-time graphs - these show how the displacement of a particle varies with time and can be used to measure the period of a wave.

A standing wave can be represented on a displacement-distance graph as shown below: