Question
What type of question could a student ask to discern whether a wave is a mechanical wave or an electromagnetic wave among the following options?
A. Does the wave transfer energy?
B. Is there a frequency associated with the wave?
C. Does the wave travel at different speeds in different materials?
D. Does the wave exhibit compressions and rarefactions?
A. Does the wave transfer energy?
B. Is there a frequency associated with the wave?
C. Does the wave travel at different speeds in different materials?
D. Does the wave exhibit compressions and rarefactions?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To discern whether a wave is a mechanical wave or an electromagnetic wave, the student could ask option **D: Does the wave exhibit compressions and rarefactions?**
Here's why this option is relevant:
- Mechanical waves, such as sound waves, require a medium to travel through and exhibit compressions (areas of high pressure) and rarefactions (areas of low pressure).
- Electromagnetic waves, such as light, do not require a medium and do not exhibit compressions and rarefactions.
Therefore, if the answer to option D is "yes," the wave is a mechanical wave; if the answer is "no," it is an electromagnetic wave.
Here's why this option is relevant:
- Mechanical waves, such as sound waves, require a medium to travel through and exhibit compressions (areas of high pressure) and rarefactions (areas of low pressure).
- Electromagnetic waves, such as light, do not require a medium and do not exhibit compressions and rarefactions.
Therefore, if the answer to option D is "yes," the wave is a mechanical wave; if the answer is "no," it is an electromagnetic wave.