 Try to imagine the ocean and you’ll  probably think of the sound of crashing waves and the feeling of their rhythmic  motion rocking your boat. Waves are commonly caused by wind blowing across the  surface – these are simply called surface waves.
            Try to imagine the ocean and you’ll  probably think of the sound of crashing waves and the feeling of their rhythmic  motion rocking your boat. Waves are commonly caused by wind blowing across the  surface – these are simply called surface waves.
            
            Additionally, the gravitational pull  exerted by our sun or moon is also capable of creating another type of wave –  tidal waves, or tides.
            
            Waves in the ocean are actually signs of  energy being transported across wide distances. Said energy can come from wind  or gravity.
            
            Waves usually look like squiggly lines. The  peaks of the wave are its crests, while its lowest points are called troughs.  You can visualize a wave as a continuous series of crests and troughs.
            
            Scientists measure a few important values  in waves. As an example, the distance between two crests or two troughs is  called a wavelength, while the number of crests that pass by a fixed point in a  set amount of time is known as the wave frequency. Meanwhile, the speed at  which a wave travels through one wavelength is referred to as the wave period.
            
            Depending on the position of their crests  and troughs, two or more waves can either grow into a bigger wave (constructive  interference) or cancel each other out (destructive interference).
            
            Using this
            
             wave diagram  labeled
            
            with the parts of an ocean wave is a simple and informative  way of learning the basics of waves for application in other physics-related  topics.