Amplitude of a sound wave

Light, sound, and waves in the ocean are common examples of waves. Sound and water waves are mechanical waves; meaning, they require a medium to travel through.

The amplitude of a wave refers to the maximum amount of displacement of a particle on the medium from its rest position . In a sense, the amplitude is the distance from rest to crest. Similarly, the amplitude can be measured from the rest position to the trough position.

The amplitude ( ) of a wave is the distance from the centre line (or the still position) to the top of a crest or to the bottom of a trough . Be careful with this quantity – the centre line is not always given in a diagram.

It refers to maximum displacement from the equilibrium that an object in periodic motion show . As an example, a pendulum swings through its equilibrium point (straight down), and then swing to a maximum distance away from the center.