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Waves

Transverse Waves.

All of the waves which you will meet on your course are transverse
except sound waves and P waves from earthquakes.

When a transverse wave travels through a substance,
the particles of the substance are moved at right angles
to the direction in which the wave is traveling.
The particles either move up and down or from side to side
as the wave goes past (like waves on the surface of the sea).
After the wave has gone, the particles are back where they started.

Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves
which do not need a substance to travel through (Continued).

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