Waves are of three main types:
1. Mechanical waves. These waves are most familiar because we encounter them almost constantly; common examples include water waves, sound waves, and seismic waves. All these waves have two central features: They are governed by Newton’s laws, and they can exist only within a material medium, such as water, air, and rock.
2. Electromagnetic waves. These waves are less familiar, but you use them constantly; common examples include visible and ultraviolet light, radio and television waves, microwaves, x rays, and radar waves. These waves require no material medium to exist. Light waves from stars, for example, travel through the vacuum of space to reach us. All electromagnetic waves travel through a vacuum at the same speed c = 299 792 458 m/s.
3. Matter waves. Although these waves are commonly used in modern technology, they are probably very unfamiliar to you. These waves are associated with electrons, protons, and other fundamental particles, and even atoms and molecules. Because we commonly think of these particles as constituting matter, such waves are called matter waves.
Much of what we discuss in this lesson applies to waves of all kinds. However, for specific examples we shall refer to mechanical waves.
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