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By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
A wave is a disturbance that travels through space or a material, transferring energy from one place to another.
Important: The wave moves and carries energy, but the particles in the wave do not travel along with it. Instead, particles vibrate (move back and forth) around their original positions.
Think of it like a Mexican wave in a stadium: the wave pattern moves around the stadium, but each person just stands up and sits down in their own spot – they don't run around the stadium!
Waves can be classified in different ways. One important classification is based on how the particles vibrate compared to the direction the wave is travelling. This gives us two main types: transverse waves and longitudinal waves.
Transverse waves are waves in which the particles vibrate perpendicular (at right angles) to the direction in which the wave is travelling and transferring energy.
In simpler terms: if the wave moves left to right, the particles move up and down.
Crests and Troughs:
The wave pattern looks like a smooth, wavy line going up and down.
Can travel through a vacuum: Transverse waves do not always need particles to travel through. Some transverse waves (like electromagnetic waves) can move through empty space.
Can be polarised: Transverse waves can be polarised, which means their vibrations can be restricted to just one direction. (Longitudinal waves cannot do this.)
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