Exploring Wave Motion: Energy Transfer Without Matter Transfer

In summary, wave motion is a means of energy transfer without any transfer of matter. This concept may contradict the famous equation E=mc^2, but it is important to note that not all forms of energy transfer involve mass transfer. Mechanical waves, such as sound and water waves, transfer energy through a medium without the medium itself moving from one point to another. Electromagnetic waves, on the other hand, can travel through free space without the need for a medium, as the energy is transferred through oscillations in the electronic and magnetic fields. While some forms of energy transfer, such as nuclear reactions, do involve mass transfer, not all do. For example, firing a laser beam transfers energy without any mass transfer, as photons are considered
  • #1
3trQN
337
1
Wave motion is a means of energy transferrence without there being any transfer of matter...

Thats a quote from one of my physics texts, but it seems to me to contradict what I've been tought about enrergy and matter thus far, which isn't much i must add.

If wave motion can be defined as energy transfer without matter transfer, then doesn't that violate the famous equation?

If so, how would you define a wave?
 
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  • #2
I think what they are trying to say is this: A mechanical wave transfers energy through a medium, but the medium itself does not get transferred from one point to another. Like sound energy travels through the air, but the air itself doesn't travel. (It just vibrates back and forth.) Or a ripple of a water wave traveling outward without the water itself moving outward.

(Don't worry about relativistic effects, if that's what you are thinking.)
 
  • #3
How is energy transferred in a wave?

I understand the role of a medium for a mechanical wave, and that there is an absence of a medium for an electromagnetic wave moving through free space, or more to the point, the medium is ( though not a true medium ) the oscillations in the elctronic and magnetic fields.

I apreciate your reply, but i am worrying about relativistic effects :) maybe you can help clear my confusion a little.

Another thing that bothers me, is, hypothetically speaking, assuming the parallel postulate to be flase, what effect would such a condition have on the EM wave model?

thx :)
 
  • #4
3trQN said:
If wave motion can be defined as energy transfer without matter transfer, then doesn't that violate the famous equation?
What equation?

Consider a microphone: sound waves cause it to vibrate, generating electricity, yet the air isn't moving from one place to another.

Consider an electric guitar - the guitar string doesn't move away from the guitar, yet it generates electricity in the pickup.

Consider an old-style reciprocating steam engine: the piston moves back and forth (net displacement: zero), yet it produces energy by spinning a shaft.
 
  • #5
E=mc^2 was the equation i was reffering to.

If you transfer energy, then don't you also transfer some mass?
 
  • #6
Yes, actually, you do. It's the reason the components of a nuclear bomb have less mass after the bomb goes off than before it goes off.
 
  • #7
really?

i don't think you need to transfer mass. for example, fire a laser beam. you transfer energy but no mass (considering photons to be massless).
 

1. What is wave motion?

Wave motion is the transfer of energy through a medium without the transfer of matter. It is characterized by the propagation of disturbances or oscillations through space.

2. What causes wave motion?

Wave motion is caused by a disturbance or energy source that creates a ripple or oscillation in a medium. This disturbance then propagates through the medium, carrying energy with it.

3. How is energy transferred through wave motion?

Energy is transferred through wave motion by the oscillation of particles in a medium. As the disturbance or wave passes through the medium, particles are displaced from their equilibrium position, and this displacement results in the transfer of energy.

4. What are some examples of wave motion?

Some examples of wave motion include ocean waves, sound waves, light waves, and earthquake waves. Electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves and microwaves, are also examples of wave motion.

5. How does wave motion differ from matter transfer?

Unlike matter transfer, where physical particles are moved from one location to another, wave motion does not involve the actual transfer of matter. Instead, it is the transfer of energy through the oscillation of particles in a medium.

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