MYP Physics Longitudinal and Transverse Waves Notes

How Do Waves Transfer Energy Without Moving Matter?

1. Waves are one of the most useful models in physics because they describe how energy and information can travel from place to place without transporting matter overall.
2. When light reaches your eyes or sound reaches your ears, what arrives is wave energy, not a stream of material that makes you heavier.

What is a Wave?

1. A wave is a process that transfers energy from one location to another.
2. When a wave travels, the energy moves through the medium, but the material itself does not travel with the wave.
3. The particles of the medium only vibrate about fixed positions as the wave passes.
4. After the wave has passed, particles return to their original positions.
5. This explains why waves can travel long distances without moving the material across those distances.

The Role of the Medium in Wave Motion

1. A medium can be a solid, liquid, or gas, depending on the type of wave.
2. Particles in the medium are already present before the wave starts.
3. As the wave passes, particles temporarily vibrate and then return to their original positions.
4. The medium itself does not travel with the wave.

How Particle Motion Transfers Energy

1. When energy is introduced into a medium, the nearest particles begin to vibrate.
2. These vibrating particles collide with or influence neighbouring particles.
3. Energy is passed from one particle to the next through these vibrations.
4. This process continues, allowing the wave to move forward through the medium.
5. Each particle only vibrates for a short time and then returns to rest.

Classifying Waves by Particle Motion