A mechanical wave is a disturbance in matter that transfers energy from place to place. A mechanical wave starts when matter is disturbed. An example of a mechanical wave is pictured in Figure 19.1. A drop of water falls into a pond. This disturbs the water in the pond. What happens next? The disturbance travels outward from the drop in all directions. This is the wave. A source of energy is needed to start a mechanical wave. In this case, the energy comes from the falling drop of water. The energy of a mechanical wave can travel only through matter. This matter is called the medium (plural, media). The medium in Figure 19.1 is a liquid the water in the pond. But the medium of a mechanical wave can be any state of matter, including a solid or a gas. Its important to note that particles of matter in the medium dont actually travel along with the wave. Only the energy travels. The particles of the medium just vibrate, or move back-and- forth or up-and-down in one spot, always returning to their original positions. As the particles vibrate, they pass the energy of the disturbance to the particles next to them, which pass the energy to the particles next to them, and so on. There are three types of mechanical waves. They differ in how they travel through a medium. The three types are transverse, longitudinal, and surface waves. All three types are described in detail below. A transverse wave is a wave in which the medium vibrates at right angles to the direction that the wave travels. An example of a transverse wave is a wave in a rope, like the one pictured in Figure 19.2. In this wave, energy is provided by a persons hand moving one end of the rope up and down. The direction of the wave is down the length of the rope away from the persons hand. The rope itself moves up and down as the wave passes through it. You can see a brief video of a transverse wave in a rope at this URL: . To see a transverse wave in slow motion, go to this URL: (0:22). MEDIA Click image to the left or use the URL below. URL: A transverse wave can be characterized by the high and low points reached by particles of the medium as the wave passes through. This is illustrated in Figure 19.3. The high points are called crests, and the low points are called troughs. Another example of transverse waves occurs with earthquakes. The disturbance that causes an earthquake sends transverse waves through underground rocks in all directions from the disturbance. Earthquake waves that travel this way are called secondary, or S, waves. An S wave is illustrated in Figure 19.4. A longitudinal wave is a wave in which the medium vibrates in the same direction that the wave travels. An example of a longitudinal wave is a wave in a spring, like the one in Figure 19.5. In this wave, the energy is provided by a persons hand pushing and pulling the spring. The coils of the spring first crowd closer together and then spread farther apart as the disturbance passes through them. The direction of the wave is down the length of the spring, or the same direction in which the coils move. You can see a video of a longitudinal wave in a spring at this URL: http A longitudinal wave can be characterized by the compressions and rarefactions of the medium. This is illustrated in Figure 19.6. Compressions are the places where the coils are crowded together, and rarefactions are the places where the coils are spread apart. Earthquakes cause longitudinal waves as well as transverse waves. The disturbance that causes an earthquake sends longitudinal waves through underground rocks in all directions from the disturbance. Earthquake waves that travel this way are called primary, or P, waves. They are illustrated in Figure 19.7. A surface wave is a wave that travels along the surface of a medium. It combines a transverse wave and a longitudinal wave. Ocean waves are surface waves. They travel on the surface of the water between the ocean
Output: The parts of a longitudinal wave where particles of matter are spread farthest apart are called