“Waves: An Interactive Tutorial starts with very simple wave properties and ends with an examination of nonlinear wave behavior. This tutorial emphasizes the properties of waves which are difficult to illustrate in a static textbook figure. Simulations are not a substitute for laboratory work. However they allow for visualization of processes that cannot normally be seen (for example electric and magnetic fields). They allow for visualization of process that are too fast (for example waves) to follow in real time or too small to see (for example thermodynamics at the molecular scale). They allow manipulation of processes which might be dangerous (collisions) or hard to experiment with (waves). They also allow for easy repetition. For all of these reasons, simulations are an excellent way to introduce students to the complex phenomena of waves.”
Excerpt From: K. Forinash and W. Christian. “Waves Tutorial.” iBooks.