What are common to sound waves and mechanical waves?

Answer 1

The energy in a sound wave is both kinetic and potential.

Just as in a vibrating spring, the medium has mass and moves and so moving mass is kinetic energy.

Just as in the spring there is compression and rarefaction, so there is elastic potential energy.

In fact, these two are equal, potential energy = kinetic energy, just like a spring.

Just like in a vibrating spring, the total energy is constant and equal to the average kinetic energy plus the average potential energy.

Answer 2

A 'mechanical' wave really means that something which has mass is made to vibrate, rather than an electrical wave where an electromagnetic field - no mass - is vibrating. When a mass is displaced, in microscopic terms, the little springy bonds between the molecules are stretched or compressed. When the deforming forces are removed they spring back, overshoot and the whole mass-spring system oscillates which is what happens in earthquakes.

Answer 3

Because it needs a medium in order to travel

Answer 4

sound waves are called mechanical waves because they need material medium for propagation of wave

Answer 5

longitudinal

:b