1. Waves 24-1

2. Different types of waves carry signals to TV’s or radios. Sound and light waves move all around. What are waves? Waves are even responsible for the damage caused by earthquakes. -

3. A wave is a disturbance that moves through matter or space. Waves carry energy from one place to another. Waves Carry Energy, not Matter Waves usually are produced by something moving. It is the energy of the vibrating object that waves carry outward. -

4. A transverse wave causes particles to move back and forth at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels. Transverse Waves High points are crests, low points are troughs. -

6. Another type of mechanical wave is a compressional (or longitudinal) wave. Compressional (Longitudinal) Waves It causes particles to move back and forth along the same direction in which the wave travels. -

7. The places where the coils are squeezed together are called compressions. Compressional Waves The places where the coils are spread apart are called rarefactions. -

8. Seismic waves move through the ground during an earthquake. Compressional Waves Some are compressional and others are transverse. -

9. Wavelength For a transverse wave, the distance between two adjacent crests or two adjacent troughs. -

10. The wavelength of a compressional wave is the distance between two compressions or rarefactions. - Wavelength

11. The frequency of a wave is the number of wavelengths that pass by a point each second. Frequency If you were watching a transverse wave on a rope, the frequency of the wave would be the number of crests or troughs that pass you each second. -