Wave transmission | Waves | Middle school physics | Khan Academy

TL;DR

Waves, such as light and sound, can pass through different materials and mediums, traveling from one source to another.

Transcript

• [Instructor] When we're talking about waves, transmission is when a wave passes from a material into another one. For example, here we have the sun, 93 million miles away on average, and imagine the different materials that the light has to travel through from the sun to, say, hit one of these sand particles right over here. Think about what it n... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙂 Waves, like light and sound, can transmit through different materials, including the vacuum of space, Earth's atmosphere, lenses, and walls.
• 👋 The transmission of waves is influenced by the wavelength of the wave and the properties of the material it passes through.
• 🙂 Sunglasses can selectively filter out certain wavelengths of light to provide protection and alter the perception of color.
• 🔇 Sound waves can be transmitted through walls, but the volume and transmission qualities may vary depending on the wall material and the frequencies of the sound.
• 🙂 Different frequencies of waves can be better at traveling through specific materials, similar to the filtering of light by sunglasses.

Questions & Answers

Q: What enables waves to transmit through the vacuum of space?

Waves, like light, can travel through the vacuum of space as they don't require a medium for transmission. This means that light can travel from the sun to Earth without any obstacles.

Q: How do sunglasses filter out certain wavelengths of light?

Sunglasses can filter out specific wavelengths of light, such as UV rays, by using lenses that block or absorb those frequencies. This helps protect the eyes from harmful radiation.

Q: Can all sound frequencies transmit equally through materials?

No, different frequencies of sound waves can transmit better through certain materials. Some materials may absorb or dampen specific frequencies, resulting in a decrease in overall sound volume and varying transmission qualities.

Q: How do walls transmit sound waves?

Sound waves can be transmitted through walls when the vibrating air particles from outside the room cause the molecules or atoms in the wall to vibrate. These vibrations are then transferred to the air particles inside the room, allowing sound to reach the listener.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Waves, including light and sound, can transmit through various materials, such as the vacuum of space, Earth's atmosphere, lenses, and walls.

• The amount of transmission depends on the wavelength of the wave and the properties of the material it passes through.

• Sunglasses can filter out certain wavelengths of light, such as UV rays, by not allowing them to transmit through the lenses.