6.1.8

Transverse Waves

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Transverse Waves

Here are some examples of transverse waves:

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Moving springs

  • Waving/moving the coils of a spring will make the coils move up and down as the wave passes.
  • They then return to their original position after the wave has passed.
  • This shows that a wave moves without transferring matter because the spring coils do not travel along with the wave.
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Mexican wave

  • A “Mexican wave” at a sports event is an example of a transverse wave.
  • The wave spreads around the stadium as the people stand up and sit down one after the other (at right angles to the direction of the people’s motion).
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Corks bobbing

  • A cork bobbing on the water shows how a transverse wave works.

Jump to other topics

1Energy

2Electricity

3Particle Model of Matter

4Atoms & Radiation

5Forces

5.1Basics of Motion

5.2Forces

5.3Effects of Forces

5.4Pressure

6Waves

7Magnetism

8Astrophysics

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