Mechanical Waves
At right, you’ll see
the piles of rubble
from a highway
that absorbed just
a little of the
energy from a wave
propagating
through the earth
in California. In this
chapter, we’ll focus
on ripples of
disturbance moving
through various
media.
, What is a wave?
A wave is a traveling disturbance
and carries energy from place to
place. In a transverse wave, the
disturbance occurs perpendicular
to the direction of travel of the
wave. In a longitudinal wave, the
disturbance occurs parallel to the
line along which the wave travels.
,16.1 The Nature of Waves
1.A wave is a traveling disturbance.
2.A wave carries energy from place to place.
, Types of mechanical waves
Waves that have compressions and rarefactions parallel
to the direction of wave propagation are longitudinal.
Waves that have compressions and rarefactions
perpendicular to the direction of propagation are
transverse.
At right, you’ll see
the piles of rubble
from a highway
that absorbed just
a little of the
energy from a wave
propagating
through the earth
in California. In this
chapter, we’ll focus
on ripples of
disturbance moving
through various
media.
, What is a wave?
A wave is a traveling disturbance
and carries energy from place to
place. In a transverse wave, the
disturbance occurs perpendicular
to the direction of travel of the
wave. In a longitudinal wave, the
disturbance occurs parallel to the
line along which the wave travels.
,16.1 The Nature of Waves
1.A wave is a traveling disturbance.
2.A wave carries energy from place to place.
, Types of mechanical waves
Waves that have compressions and rarefactions parallel
to the direction of wave propagation are longitudinal.
Waves that have compressions and rarefactions
perpendicular to the direction of propagation are
transverse.
