1-2 Type of waves

Mechanical waves need a medium to propagate.

Examples:

Waves on a string

Sound waves

Seismic waves

Mechanical Waves

Electromagnetic waves do not need a medium to propagate. They can propagate in vacuum. Their speed in vacuum is 3 x 10⁸ m/s.

Examples:

Light waves

Microwaves

x-rays

Electromagnetic Waves

In phys102, we will study only mechanical waves. In this chapter, we will discuss waves on a string and, in the next chapter, we will discuss sound waves.