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Waves

General.

Waves transmit energy without transmitting matter.

This means that waves can move energy (or information)
from one place to another
without moving any substance (stuff) from one place to another.
The amount of energy which a wave has depends on its amplitude.

Most waves move through substance
but only move it backwards and forwards (longitudinal)
or side to side (transverse) while the wave passes.
After the wave has gone, the substance is back where it started
but energy has been carried by the wave
from its origin (where it begins) to its destination (where it finishes).

One type of wave (electromagnetic) does not need any substance
to get it from its origin to its destination.
It can travel through a vacuum (nothing)
so these waves can travel from stars to planets through space
(space is a vacuum).

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Copyright © 2007 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.