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What is the hypothetical medium formerly believed to fill space?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Ether.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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Why do light waves not need a medium?
Their "medium" is space itself. A light wave is an electromagnetic wave - a disturbance in electric and magnetic fields, and those affect space itself.
Does light need a medium through which to travel?
No, it does not. It can travel through any open space. Sound, unlike light, needs a medium to travel. So light can travel through outer space but sound cannot because there is no medium.
Does light waves travel through median?
I assume you are thinking about a "medium". If a wave travels through some "substance", such a substances is called a medium. In the case of light waves, or electromagnetic waves in general, the medium is empty space - nothing is required to fill the space.
Do electromagnetic waves need a medium to transfer energy?
NoAnother PerspectiveAll waves require a medium. The medium is what restricts the waves propagation speed. If there were no medium, there would be no limit to the speed with which a wave could travel. The medium of radio waves, or electromagnetic (EM) waves, is space. There have to be more properties of space than I can imagine, but in relation to EM waves, I can think of at least two; elasticity and density. The elasticity of space must be excessive in order to allow waves of extremely short length to propagate with equal fidelity as waves with extremely long lengths. The density of space must be excessive as well, in order for EM waves to be able to travel the distances they do with any representation of the original source.
Why is em radiation the only energy that can travel through space?
Because they are waves that do not require a medium through which to propagate. Space is a vacuum with no medium. For instance, sound waves need air through which to travel.
Why were space simulators developed?
Space simulators were intended to provide training for hypothetical equipment traveling in a hypothetical environment
What can travel through space without a(n) medium?
Electromagnetic waves can travel through space without a medium.
Can you hear anything in outer space?
No. Sound requires a medium through which it can travel. Since space is near a vacuum, there is no medium for sound.
Do X rays require a medium?
X-rays are electromagnetic waves, so they can travel in empty space. (Space itself is the "medium" in this case.)
Can sound exist in space outside of the space shuttle?
Sound requires a medium to be transported from one point to another. On earth, that is normally the air. In space, which is a vacuum, no sound is heard, as there is no medium to transport it.
How far can sound travel in space between astonauts?
Sound waves require a medium to travel through to propagate from point A to point B. In space there is no such medium, so sound does not travel in space.
Why does sound not travel through space?
Sound does move through space. It doesn't move though empty space, i.e. a vaccuum. In outer space there is a vaccuum (though not necessarily a perfect vaccuum).Sound is caused by vibrations in a medium such as air (or water or wood). These vibrations compress and rarefy the medium. The vibrations move through the medium as waves.In a vaccuum, there is no medium thus there is no sound.
How do waves transmit energy while there is no medium for propagation?
In a way, they don't. There is always a medium; though for some waves, this medium can be empty space.
What can transfer energy without a medium?
Electromagnetic waves, however, in fact the medium for the transmission of electromagnet waves is space, so there really is a medium.
Why do light waves not need a medium?
Their "medium" is space itself. A light wave is an electromagnetic wave - a disturbance in electric and magnetic fields, and those affect space itself.
Space was once believed to be filled with?
Space was once believed to be filled with ether. Ether is a colorless and odorless liquid gas that is highly flammable.
Does light need a medium through which to travel?
No, it does not. It can travel through any open space. Sound, unlike light, needs a medium to travel. So light can travel through outer space but sound cannot because there is no medium.
