properties of waves

• What are the two most common types of waves that propagate through air?

  Sound waves and electromagnetic waves
• How do sound waves propagate through air?

  By causing air particles to vibrate back and forth
• What type of waves are light and electromagnetic waves?

  Transverse waves
• How does air transmit waves despite being less dense?

  It can still effectively transmit waves
• What happens to waves when they encounter objects in their path?

  They can be absorbed or reflected
• What types of waves can propagate through fluids?

  Both transverse and longitudinal waves
• How are waves typically visible in liquids?

  As ripples or waves on the surface
• How do sound waves behave in liquids?

  They propagate as longitudinal waves
• Why can dense liquids transmit waves more rapidly than less dense fluids?

  Due to their closer particle arrangement
• What is the most efficient medium for wave transmission?

  Solids
• What types of waves can propagate through solids?

  Both transverse and longitudinal waves
• What can be felt when waves travel through a solid?

  Vibrations from the waves
• What is the amplitude of a wave?

  The greatest distance from normal position
• How is wavelength defined?

  The distance between corresponding points on waves
• What does frequency measure in waves?

  The number of waves produced each second
• How can the speed of a wave be determined?

  By multiplying wavelength by frequency
• What can happen when a wave hits a boundary between two substances?

  It may be reflected, transmitted, or absorbed
• What is refraction in the context of waves?

  The bending of waves as they pass through mediums
• What property is exclusive to transverse waves?

  Polarisation
• What does polarisation refer to in transverse waves?

  The orientation of the oscillations
• How can polarisation help with waves?

  It can help determine the direction of incoming waves