As I understand it, electromagnetic waves have two components which are the result of each other, i.e., when a moving electric charge creates a changing magnetic field at point X then a changing electric field is created at point Y and this repeating process is what creates EM waves, so therefore, it requires no medium ...

Why do electromagnetic waves not need a medium?

The electromagnetic waves are not mechanical waves. There are vibrations of electric vector and magnetic vector in them. These vibrations do not need any particles present in the medium for their propagation. That's why electromagnetic waves do not require any medium for propagation.

How do we know that electromagnetic waves need no medium?

Electromagnetic waves differ from mechanical waves in that they do not require a medium to propagate. This means that electromagnetic waves can travel not only through air and solid materials, but also through the vacuum of space. ... This proved that radio waves were a form of light!

Why do electromagnetic waves not require a medium for travel quizlet?

Waves travels perpendicular of each other or right angles of each other. ... Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium such as air, so they can transfer energy through vacuum, or empty space.

Why do electromagnetic waves travel through vacuum?

An electric and magnetic field have no need a medium to show thier effect. Hence in the presence of electric and magnetic field vector which vibrate perpendeculer to each other and get pertervation EM waves travels in vacuum. Electromagnetic waves are only an observed phenomenon.

Electromagnetic Waves

Do light waves require a medium?

Water and sound waves are mechanical and require a medium in order to travel. Light and radio waves are not mechanical but rather electromagnetic and do not need a medium.

Do sound waves require a medium?

a medium is required in order for sound waves to transport energy. Mechanical waves require a medium in order to transport energy. Sound, like any mechanical wave, cannot travel through a vacuum.

Do electromagnetic waves need a medium to travel through like mechanical waves do explain why or why not quizlet?

Light from the sun and stars could not travel through space to the Earth if light was a mechanical wave. Outer space is a vacuum so there is no medium for a mechanical wave to travel through. Electromagnetic radiation does not need a medium.

What type of waves do not require a medium for the wave to travel quizlet?

Terms in this set (30)

How does a mechanical wave move? What travels in mechanical wave? A form of energy that can move through the vacuum of space. - Mechanical waves require a medium to travel through, while Electromagnetic waves do not.

Which medium can electromagnetic waves travel through the fastest?

Electromagnetic waves- travel fastest in empty space and slowest in solids. 4. Waves can change speeds when going from 1 type of medium to a different type 5. In a same type of medium the speed of waves is constant.

Why does light not need a medium?

We know that light doesn't need a medium through which to travel because the speed of light is experimentally constant: independent of the movement of the source or detector or the direction in which it travels. Light contrasts with sound, which travels through the air (or some other material medium).

Do mechanical waves need a medium?

Mechanical waves are waves that require a medium in order to transport their energy from one location to another. Because mechanical waves rely on particle interaction in order to transport their energy, they cannot travel through regions of space that are void of particles.

Do longitudinal waves need a medium?

Yes, longitudinal waves need a medium to continue moving forward.

Can electromagnetic waves be compressed?

There are two basic types of waves, transverse and compressional. ... Light waves (electromagnetic radiation) are transverse waves. Compressional or longitudinal waves cause oscillating motion along the direction of the wavefront, where the particle density oscillates as they are compressed and expanded.

Do electromagnetic waves carry matter?

Waves are not matter. Waves are a form of energy transfer. Mechanical waves, such as sound waves, transfer energy through matter. ... Electromagnetic waves are waves that carry energy through matter or space as vibrating electric and magnetic fields.

Why are electromagnetic waves are non mechanical Class 12?

Electromagnetic waves are produced by an accelerated charge and do not require any medium for propagation. So electromagnetic wave is a non-mechanical wave.

Why do sound waves need a medium through which to travel quizlet?

Sound waves must have a medium in order to travel. The type of wave made by sound. In these waves the particles of the medium vibrate in the direction of the moving energy. As a sound wave travels, it squeezes then releases the particles.

What types of waves require a medium?

Mechanical waves are waves that require a medium. This means that they have to have some sort of matter to travel through. These waves travel when molecules in the medium collide with each other passing on energy. One example of a mechanical wave is sound.

Which wave requires a material medium through which to travel quizlet?

Mechanical Waves -waves that require a medium through which to travel Name two types of mechanical waves.

Which wave Cannot move without a medium in which to travel?

Electromagnetic Waves - Do not require a physical medium through which to travel. Electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum. Examples: Radio waves, visible light, x-rays, etc.

Are electromagnetic waves longitudinal or transverse?

Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves. That means the electric and magnetic fields change (oscillate) in a plane that is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave. Also note that electric and magnetic fields in an EM wave are also perpendicular to each other.

What type of waves do not require matter to carry energy quizlet?

Terms in this set (19) What is the difference between electromagnetic and mechanical waves? Electromagnetic waves can travel through space and do not requrie matter to travel. Mechanical waves, however, require some sort of matter to travel through.

Why medium is necessary for propagation of sound?

Because the molecules of solids, liquids, and gases convey sound waves from one point to another, sound requires a material medium such as solid, liquid, or gas to move. Because there are no molecules in the vacuum that can vibrate and convey sound waves, sound cannot travel through it.

Why can't transverse waves travel through fluids?

So in fact it just boils down to the fact that transverse-waves need a medium rigid enough to propagate, which liquids can't provide. Also remember that not all transverse waves require a rigid medium to travel. Transverse waves can also travel along the surface tension of the ocean, creating water waves.

Why do we need a medium to make sound travel?

Sound needs a material medium for their propagation like solid, liquid or gas to travel because the molecules of solid, liquid and gases carry sound waves from one point to another. Sound cannot progress through the vacuum because the vacuum has no molecules which can vibrate and carry the sound waves.