Originally Posted by kengreen
Transverse Waves .... mechanical yes. E-m waves ...as you say do not require a medium and I think they need a little care in classifying them. Lacking a medium can you truly put thrm into a group of waves which "travel"?
What exactly do you mean by propagating when there is nothing present through which to propagate?
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Doesn't propagate just mean "to travel"?
That's what I thought it meant. He seemed to be suggesting that for a wave to be propagated, a medium a medium is doing the propagating (moving) of the wave.
All bit confusing BUT I have written that transverse electromagnetic waves do not require a medium in which to propagate; they can travel in a vacuum.
Have I got this right?
Originally Posted by kengreen
... I would suggest that perhaps they go into a new box of their own?
All e-m waves go into the same box ?
BUT do they indeed travel IN a medium? They may indeed appear to enter SOME meedia and to re-appear on the other side - they even interact with a medium and get refracted - but ... ?
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I've put transverse waves in their own box. Have a look please:
I've split waves into transverse
(box 1) and longitudinal (box 2)
Box 1 (transverse) I split into
box 1 a (mechanical transverse) and
box 1 b (electromagnetic transverse)
Box 1B (electromagnetic transverse) I've said consists of (examples) visible light, gamma radiation, radio waves.
Box 1B (electromagnetic transverse) I've said can travel in any medium and even in the absence of a medium (vacuum)