The Nature of Waves 9 1 Wave A

The Nature of Waves 9. 1

Wave - A repeating movement or disturbance that transfers energy through matter or space

All waves carry energy without transporting matter from place to place. ü Molecules pass energy along to neighbor molecules who pass energy to neighbor ü All waves are produced by vibrations ü Waves will travel as long as there is energy to carry

Not matter Waves move energy … Boat stays in the same place

Making Waves • Suppose you are holding a rope at one end, and you give it a shake. • You would create a pulse that travels along the rope to the other end, and then the rope would be still again.

• It is the up-and-down motion of your hand that creates the wave. • Anything that moves up and down or back and forth in a rhythmic way is vibrating. • The vibrating movement of your hand at the end of the rope created the wave. In fact, all waves are produced by something that vibrates

Medium - Matter through which a wave travels. • A medium can be a solid, liquid, gas or combination of these • Not all waves need a medium to travel • Light and radio waves can travel though space

Mechanical Waves • Waves that can travel only through matter are called. • The two types of mechanical waves are transverse waves and longitudinal waves.

Some examples of Mechanical Waves

Transverse Waves • Matter moves back and forth at right angles to direction that wave travels

Longitudinal Waves • Matter in medium moves in the same direction that wave travels

Read Section 1 Explain the motion created by: 1. Water waves 2. Sound waves 3. Seismic waves

Water Waves • The water that is pushed aside returns to its initial position.