What are the differences between sound waves and water waves?

Answer 1

sound waves are created by things that make sounds like sombody speaking or instruments. water waves are created by wind.

Answer 2

Two main ways. First water waves are essentially two dimensional, i.e. on the surface of water, and sound waves are three dimensional - they (generally) spread out in all directions from the source of the sound.

Second water waves are up and down undulations in the water, and are therefore at right angles to the direction of motion (transverse waves). Sound waves are compressions and rarefactions in the same direction as the direction of motion (longitudinal waves).

Answer 3

Yes and no. Both waves are mechanical waves and require a medium in which to travel. But sound waves are longitudinal waves or compression waves and the medium must be pushed and pulled to and fro in the direction in which the wave is travelling. Water waves are transverse waves and the medium moves in shear or up and down to transmit the energy of the wave. == ==

Answer 4

Yes and the sound can travel better on water and best on solid. Sound wave can be use to describe terrain under sea and school of fish. Red Indian technique placing ear on the solid land can hear galloping many mile away.

The reason we can't hear well in water is because our ear is not water compatible.

There is a lot of sound resistance so sound cannot easily pass through.

Answer 5

Short Version:

There are different kinds of waves.

Electromagnetic waves are oscillations of an electromagnetic field and different than sound, water waves, vibrating guitar strings and other material oscillations that we call mechanical waves.

More Explanation:

Most waves involve the oscillation of a material medium.

Water waves, both ocean waves and small ripples, are an example of waves of a material medium. Without water, there are no water waves or water ripples. Sound, earthquake tremors, vibrations of a drum head and many other things are examples of waves involving matter. Usually we call such waves mechanical waves.

Electromagnetic waves are of the more unusual variety. They require no material medium to be present for them to exist. When we say "no material medium," we are talking about vacuum. Everything else is matter. Water, air, wood and people are matter. Vacuum is emptiness.

Light, radio signals, microwaves, infrared radiation and even x-rays and gamma rays are all electromagnetic waves. They differ in energy and wavelength, but they are otherwise the same combination of an oscillating electric and an oscillating magnetic wave that propagate at the speed of light. In fact, they are light whether we can actually see them with our eyes, i.e. visible light, or not.

An electromagnetic wave will happily travel through a vacuum. In fact, electromagnetic waves travel fastest in a vacuum. They all travel at the famous "speed of light" which the theory of relativity tells us is the speed limit for everything.

Of course, light and then other electromagnetic waves can travel through matter also. Light goes through glass, air, water and a number of other materials with relatively little problem. Light does slow when it goes through matter and the matter itself begins to oscillate in concert with the oscillation of light. The electronic structure of mater responds to light and makes its own little wave in the process. So, when light passes through a material, you get not only the electromagnetic wave but a bit of a matter wave as well. that is why light in a material is slower than light in a vacuum, because the mixing with matter slows it down.

Caveat: With apologies for bringing up a rather esoteric point that the reader is welcome to ignore, experts can get picky and say that the above discussion leaves something out. Light may not be the only wave that can travel at the speed of light in a vacuum, but it gets pretty tricky to discuss that point. Let us just say that for all the experiments done thus far, no one has actually observed a massless gluon traveling at the speed of light or a gravitational wave doing that.

Answer 6

Sound waves and ocean waves are both mechanical waves. But sound waves are longitudinal waves and waves on the ocean are transverse waves. Links can be found below to related questions on what longitudinal and transverse waves are.

Answer 7

yes certainly. It is said that usman yahya discovered this meaning of wave.

Answer 8

Both are produced due to the disturbance of the particles of the medium.