A wave motion is a movement or a disturbance through a medium, where the individual particles in the medium only vibrate vertically, horizontally, or in a cyclical pattern.

The wave motion can be illustrated:
– In a rope, when one end of a rope is moved in an up-and-down motion in a cyclical pattern.
– In a spring, when the spring is moved in an up-and-down motion, or a back-and-forth motion, in a cyclical pattern.
– In a ripple tank, when the dipper is moved in an up-and-down motion on the water surface, producing water waves.