3N3

is unpredictable

Physics.
Teacher-in-charge: Mr chio
Students: Adlin, Diyanah, Elisa, Grace, Jermaine, Jingsheng, Pauline, Qianwei, Saiful, Tabatha, Vinis, Wende, Zongxian,

In physics, oscillation that is propagated from a source. Mechanical waves require a medium through which to travel. Electromagnetic waves do not; they can travel through a vacuum. Waves carry energy but they do not transfer matter. The medium (for example the Earth, for seismic waves) is not permanently displaced by the passage of a wave. The model of waves as a pattern is used to help understand the properties of light and sound. Experiments conducted in a ripple tank with water waves can explain how waves slow down as water becomes shallower, how waves change direction when travelling through another medium, and how waves are reflected from different surfaces. See also standing wave.


Types of wave
There are various ways of classifying wave types. One of these is based on the way the wave travels. In a transverse wave, the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels. An example of this type of wave is a mechanical wave projected along a tight string. The string moves at right angles to the wave motion. Electromagnetic waves are another example of transverse waves. The directions of the electric and magnetic fields are perpendicular to the wave motion. In a longitudinal wave the disturbance takes place parallel to the wave motion. A longitudinal wave consists of a series of compressions and rarefactions (states of maximum and minimum density and pressure, respectively). Such waves are always mechanical in nature and thus require a medium through which to travel. Sound waves are an example of longitudinal waves. Waves that result from a stone being dropped into water appear as a series of circles. These are called circular waves and can be generated in a ripple tank for study. Waves on water that appear as a series of parallel lines are called plane waves.