answersLogoWhite

0

mechanical waves need a medium to travel through, electromagnetic waves do not. Electromagnetic waves can travel through space, mechanical waves can not.

:P
Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium, but mechanical waves do.

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

How em waves different from mechanical waves?

Mechanical waves require a medium while Electromagnetic waves does not.


HOW are EM wave different from mechanical wave?

Mechanical waves require a medium while Electromagnetic waves does not.


Is a EM wave a sound wave?

No, electromagnetic (EM) waves are different from sound waves. EM waves are vibrations of electric and magnetic fields that do not need a medium to travel through, while sound waves are mechanical vibrations that require a medium, such as air or water, to propagate.


Can both electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves move throgh space?

Yes, but mechanical waves need matter to travel through. EM waves can travel through vacuums as well.


Why in infrared rays and ultraviolet rays are not visible to us what is the main point of difference between electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves?

The difference is in the different waves' frequency - therefore, the wavelength is also different. Our eyes are adapted to seeing specific frequencies; we can't see, or detect, just any type of EM wave. Mechanical waves are unrelated to EM waves, except that both are waves, and therefore share certain characteristics (having phenomena such as interference, polarization, etc.)


How are radio waves different from other waves on the EM spectrum?

They have different wavelength.


What are the three different types of waves?

The three different types of waves are mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves, and matter waves.


How is a electromagnetic wave different from a EM waves?

They're the same. EM stands for electromagnetic.


How are electromagnetic wave and mechanical waves different?

The biggest difference is that mechanical waves require a medium to travel through and electromagnetic waves do not.


How are electromagnetic waves different from all other waves, specifically mechanical waves?

Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to travel through, unlike mechanical waves which do. Additionally, electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum, while mechanical waves cannot.


Both mechanical waves and EM waves interact with a change in what?

All waves move energy, not matter. All waves are created by vibrations. Mechanical waves are caused by vibrating matter such as vocal chords or a drum. EM waves are created by vibrating electrons in atoms that propogate through the electric and magnetic fields that exist everywhere in the universe. All waves can reflect, refract. and diffract. This is where the similarities end. Both types of waves interact with matter and experience a change in velocity but do not interact with each other. Mechanical waves require matter as a medium through which to travel, they don't travel through a vacum. EM waves travel best through a vacum and lose energy as they move into more dense matter. All waves refract when they change velocity as they move from one medium into another, like air into water. Remember, there are some similarities amongst all types of waves, EM, mechanical, surface, and siesmic, but their behaviors are quite varied and complex.


Is a sound wave mechanical or electromagnetic?

Seismic waves are mechanical waves.