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Does a medium travel with the mechanical wave or does the wave just travel through the medium?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
No. (You can play loud music from speakers on one side of the room for as long
as you want to, and you won't cause the air to pile up on the other side.)
Mark Greenholt
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoA wave simply travels through the medium.
Think of it this way: Radio waves are permeating every cubic inch of our planet every second of the day, moving from the radio tower to your radio, yet the air through which those waves are moving is not coming directly to your radio; the air is staying relatively still while the waves move through it to get to you.
Or, think of it this way: If you're inside, when the radio waves travel through your wall to reach your radio, your wall does not come flying towards your radio with the waves; it stays where it is and the waves pass through it.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe answer is technically NO. When a wave is acting on a liquid it is simply causing the liquid to move up and down in a vertical plane. The energy of the particles which have been caused to rise up and down, is transferred to the particles adjacent to it, and they start moving up and down also. The energy is passed on from particle to particle and it appears as though the liquid is moving along. What is actually happening is that the crest of the wave is transferred to the liquid next to it. The crest is changing position but the liquid is not traveling forward, only the crest is traveling forward . The liquid simply moves up and down. Do not be confused by the Surfer who does move forward. He is only making use of the movement of the sloping wave crest as the crest continually changes position . The water 100 metros from shore , stays where it is, and the water at the shore line stays at the shore line. The movement of the water close to the shoreline, however, does move back and forth simply because it is pulled back to the deeper sand , by the force of gravity. Notice how a Surfer stays where he is, if he cannot position himself on the forward slope of the wave. He simply moves up and down as the wave crests pass him by .
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoNo. The wave travels through the medium but the medium does not travel with the wave. Rocks or bone can be the medium for sound but the rock does not move with the sound
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoNo. (You can play loud music from speakers on one side of the room for as long
as you want to, and you won't cause the air to pile up on the other side.)
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoFalse the wave goes through the medium only. And does not carry it.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoNo, because the medium does not travel itself.
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Are water waves mechanical waves?
No, Mechanical waves means that the waves require a medium in order to pass through. For instance, sound is a mechanical wave because it requires the air to travel through (or any material -- such as water). Light waves are electromagnetic waves because they produce an oscillating electric/magnetic field as it travels. Also because it requires no medium to travel through, this is why the sun's light may reach us here on earth. (Note: it was previously thought that the medium in space which allowed light to travel through, this was referred to as the ether - this is false, space is a vacuum.)
How do surface waves differ form body waves?
Body waves: seismic waves that travel through the body of a medium Surface waves: seismic waves that travel along the surface of a medium and have a strong effect near the surface of the medium than it has in the interior
Do infrared waves travel through a vacuum?
Yes, infrared waves are part of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum and all electromagnetic radiation will propagate through a vacuum.
What happens when s waves hit the outer core of earth?
Because the Earth's core is liquid; S-waves can't travel through liquid.
What is the difference between conservation of mechanical energy and conservation of total energy?
There is no difference between the two, it's just another way of wording the phrase.
What medium does a wave travel in?
There are two types of waves, mechanical and electromagnetic. Mechanical waves need to have a medium to go through in order to even exits. these mediums can include water, dirt, air, metal, glass, plastic, wood, etc. electromagnetic waves travel through just about anything and do not have to have a medium to exist. Hope this helps T.M.M :-)
Why does a sound wave travel the slowest in a vacuum?
Sound waves don't just travel the slowest in a vacuum, they don't travel at all. The reason is that sound waves, like all mechanical waves, need a medium to travel through.
Are water waves mechanical waves?
No, Mechanical waves means that the waves require a medium in order to pass through. For instance, sound is a mechanical wave because it requires the air to travel through (or any material -- such as water). Light waves are electromagnetic waves because they produce an oscillating electric/magnetic field as it travels. Also because it requires no medium to travel through, this is why the sun's light may reach us here on earth. (Note: it was previously thought that the medium in space which allowed light to travel through, this was referred to as the ether - this is false, space is a vacuum.)
Does Light travels in waves and sound is a form of energy that travels in mechanical waves through a medium?
Sound is a form of energy that travels "through" a mechanical medium. Light can be modelled as waves in certain circumstances. No mechanical medium is detectable, so either there is no medium, or the medium also propagates all matter the same way (Lorentz aether). The photoelectric effect shows that, just like sound is just motions of particles, so is light. electromagnetic
What factors are necessary for a sound wave to travel through a medium?
well sound actually always needs a medium so it can travel, in space there's is no sound because there isn't a medium it can travel through. but just about anything is a medium for sound. air is also a great medium, that's why were able to hear one another
What waves are mechanical?
Mechanical wave needs a medium to travel. Examples :- Sound Wave, Seismic Wave etc.
What wave requires a medium?
Waves that require a medium are called mechanical waves
How well does a sound travel through a solid?
its the best medium that sound can travel through,the next is liquid and the slowest is gas the reason for this is because First, sound is mechanical energy. It needs a medium to travel through. The energy is transferred into the medium, and the medium carries it through itself. That's propagation, and you probably already knew most or all of that. But we need to start at the beginning, so let's jump.When something moves to create sound, either continuously like a guitar string, or "just once" like when a hammer strikes a nail head, the action creates pressure waves or a pressure wave. The pressure wave or waves are actually atoms or molecules "pushing against" each other in response to the action causing the sound. The "pushing against" each other is the transfer of the mechanical energy of sound through whatever is "conducting" that energy. That's how sound is transmitted (and why sound can't travel through a vacuum). The medium is carrying the mechanical energy of the wave. So the action of atoms or molecules shoving each other "over" to conduct the sound, this compression of them, has an opposite action, which we call rarifaction.
Is vacuum the only medium for light to travel?
No. Light also travels through air, water and glass, to give just a few examples.
What is a medium in which waves travel through?
The medium of a wave is the matter a wave travels through.So yeah, if you wiggle a rope, the medium isn't the air around the rope... the medium is the rope itself!
What is the best explanation for why sound does not travel through space?
Sound waves require a medium or some sort of atmosphere to pass through, while space is just a vacuum and has neither
Can sound waves travel through lasers?
Yes. The laser beam is a beam of coherent light. Just photons. Meanwhile the sound wave is travelling through a medium....which isn't really true of the photons, they'll travel whether there's a medium or not. There's essentially no interaction or interference between the two. Saying that I can think of ways you could detect sound waves using lasers...but I wouldn't worry about that - sound will travel just fine through a laser beam providing it still has a medium to travel through. i.e: a laser can be present in a strong vacuum but sound won't pass through a strong vacuum - at least not to any useful degree....but that's not the laser stopping it.
