Waves
7 questions tagged Waves — spanning every one of the seven Ws.
What Is the Doppler Effect?
The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a wave as the source and observer move relative to each other.
Whose principle explains why a wave bends around obstacles and spreads out through openings?
Huygens’ principle, associated with Christiaan Huygens. It treats each point on a wavefront as a source of new wavelets.
Why do sound waves need air or another material to travel?
Sound is a vibration that moves by making particles in a medium bump into each other. In empty space, there are no particles to carry the vibration, so sound cannot travel.
Why does sound travel faster in solids than in air?
Sound is a vibration passed from particle to particle, and solids have tightly packed particles that transmit that vibration quickly. Air is much less densely connected, so sound travels more slowly.
Why do some ocean waves break into white foam?
Waves foam when their tops become unstable, collapse, and trap air as they break. The churning mixes water and air into bubbles that look white from reflected light.
What is resonance?
Resonance happens when a system is driven at or near its natural frequency, causing large-amplitude vibrations or oscillations. It can be useful or destructive.
What is polarization?
Polarization is the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, especially light. It means the electric field of light is aligned in a particular direction.