The acoustic energy has the capacity of to pass through and be modified by: solid, fluid, plasma or gas medium. The sound wave can, also, be reflected from these media.
In physics, a wave is a disorder that propagates through space and time by the transfer of energy. Wave variables can be quantified mathematically by a wave equation, depending on the specifications of the wave.
A mechanical wave is a synonym to mechanical energy that moves via a medium. The wave is affected by restoring forces due to the elasticity of the matter, and generated by its degree of deformation.
Sound waves, usually, transfer the acoustic energy gas air elements colliding into their neighbors. Some of the energy is delivered to these neighbors.
The outcome is a cascade of collisions between neighboring molecules. The collision of air molecules follows the Newtonian mechanics in the aspect of preserving the kinetic energy and the momentum.
The molecules that collide with their neighbors, bounce away from them (Newtonian laws). This prevents the link of molecules to the moving wave.
Waves travel and deliver energy from one site to another, often with no significant shift of the molecules of the medium.
Energy of sound waves can pass through matters such as water, iron, wood or walls of a house. During the passage there is little (in fluids) or no (in solids) associated mass transport.
They consist of oscillations or vibrations around approximately fixed points. For example: an empty bottle (after the Ginny escaped... ) on wavy water will move up and down and stay in the same place while the small wave moves onwards.
Waves travel and transport energy but not mass because even as a wave moves outward from the center (carrying energy of motion), the medium itself does not flow with it.
Attempt to send sound via complete vacuum, will block the passage of the energy of the sound wave. There are waves that can travel through a vacuum. The common denominator is that it is electromagnetic radiation. The common classification includes 6 types: (1) Visible light. (2) Ultraviolet radiation. (3) Infrared radiation. (4) Gamma rays. (5) X-rays. (6) Radio waves.
They consist of period oscillations in electrical and magnetic properties that grow (as in sinusoidal curve, but there are also other curves), reach a peak, and diminish to zero in a periodic fashion.
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