17 1 Mechanical Waves What is a mechanical

17. 1 Mechanical Waves

What is a mechanical wave? • A mechanical wave is a disturbance in matter that carries energy from place to place

What do mechanical waves require? • Mechanical waves require a medium.

What is a medium? • A medium is the material through which a wave travels.

How are mechanical waves created? • Mechanical waves are created when a source of energy causes a vibration to travel through a medium.

What is a transverse wave? • A transverse wave causes the medium to vibrate @ right angles to the direction the wave travels.

Draw a picture of a transverse wave: label crest, trough, rest

Name an example of a transverse wave. • Shaking a rope & shaking a blanket are examples of transverse waves.

What is a longitudinal wave? • A longitudinal wave is a wave in which the vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction the wave travels.

Draw a longitudinal wave: label compression and rarefaction

Name an example of a longitudinal wave. • Slinky springs & P waves (aka primary waves) produced by earthquakes are examples of longitudinal waves.

What is a surface wave? • A surface wave is a wave that travels along a surface separating 2 media – like air and water

What is the most familiar kind of surface wave? • Ocean waves are the most familiar surface waves.

A surface wave causes a bobber floating on the water to move an up-and-down motion, as well as a back-and-forth motion. The combined effect of both types of wave motion causes the bobber to move in a circle

Bobber buoy… http: //footage. shutterstock. com/video. html ? id=286108