Wave Motion - Mission WM1 Detailed Help


TRUE   or   FALSE:
Waves transport energy from one location to another without transporting matter.
 
(Note: The exact wording of your true-false statement is randomly selected and may vary from that listed here.)


 
Nature of a Wave:
A wave results from a periodic and repeating disturbance of a medium at a given location; energy is transported from that location through the medium by means of particle-to-particle interaction. While energy moves through the medium, the actual particles of the medium simply undergo a back-and-forth vibration about a fixed position.


 
A common misconception (wrong idea) regarding waves is that a wave involves the movement of matter from the source to other parts of a medium. But don't be fooled! Waves involve the transport of energy, not the transport of matter. When a wave exists in a body of water (such as on an ocean), particles of water simply undergo a back-and-forth vibratory cycle about a fixed position. The water particles do not actually move from a location near the middle of the ocean to a location that is closer to shore. The same can be said of a slinky wave, a sound wave, or any type of mechanical wave.