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What is wave ? or What waves do ?

         Waves simply transport energy without any transportation of matter . The energy transportation is carried by a disturbance , which spreads out from a source . We are well familiar with different types of waves such as water waves in the ocean , or gently formed ripples on a still pond due to rain drop . When a musician plucks a guitar-string , sound waves are generated which on reaching our ear , produce the sensation of music . Wave disturbances may also come in a concentrated bundle like the shock waves from an aero plane flying at supersonic speed . What ever may be the nature of waves , the mechanism by which it transports energy is the same . A succession of oscillatory processes are always involved . The wave is generated by an oscillation in the vibrating body and propagation of wave through space is by means of oscillation . The waves which propagate by the oscillation of material particles are known as mechanical waves .

There is another class of waves which , instead of material particles, propagate out in space due to oscillations of electric and magnetic fields . Such waves are known as electromagnetic waves . We will undertake the study of electromagnetic waves at a later stage . Here consider the mechanical waves only . The waves generated in ropes , strings , coil of springs , water and air are all mechanical waves . So far we have been considering motion of individual particles but in case of mechanical waves , we study the collective motion of particles . An example will help us here . If you look at a black and white picture in a newspaper with a magnifying glass , you will discover that the picture is made up of many closely spaced dots . If you do not use the magnifier , you do not see the dots . What , you see is the collective effect of dots in the form of a picture . Thus what we see as mechanical wave is actually the effect of oscillations of a very large number of particles of the medium through which the wave is passing .

We have some types of the Wave that we are going to discuss in our another blog, 1 – Progressive Waves

2 – Transverse and Longitudinal Waves 3 – Periodic Waves

4 – Transverse Periodic Waves 5 – Longitudinal Periodic Waves

Thank You

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