Chapter 10WavesSection 1

Jerred Tarrell

What are Waves?

•A wave is a repeating disturbance or movement that transfers energy through matter or space.

•Ocean waves disturb the water and transfer energy through it.

•During earthquakes, energy is transferred in powerful waves that travel through the earth.

•Light also is a type of wave that can travel through empty space to transfer energy from place to place, just like when the Sun sends energy to Earth.

Transverse Waves

•The matter in the medium moves back and forth at a right angle to the direction the wave is traveling.

•Transverse waves only travel through matter.

•To show an example of a transverse wave you could shake one end of a rope while someone else holds the other end, the energy from your hand will create a wave.

Transverse Waves

Compressional Waves•Matter in the medium moves back and forth along the same direction the wave travels.

•Like a transverse wave, a compressional wave only travels through matter.

•One way to model a compressional wave is to use a slinky and squeeze several coils together, let go of the coils, and watch a wave travel through the spring.

Compresssoinal Waves

Seismic Waves•Seismic waves are created from earthquakes.

•Seismic waves are a combination of transverse and compressional waves.

•They travel through Earth and along Earth’s surface.

•When objects absorb energy from a seismic wave the object will move or shake.

•The more of Earth’s crust that is moved the more energy there is released.

Seismic Waves

Section 1 Vocabulary1. Wave- repeating disturbance or movement that transfers energy through

matter or space.

2. Medium- the matter that waves travel through

3. Transverse Wave- matter in the medium moves back and forth at right angles to the direction that the wave travels.

4. Compressional Wave- matter in the medium moves back and forth along the same direction that the wave travels.