13-1-types-of-waves_summary

The provided text discusses the concepts of waves, focusing on mechanical waves that require a medium to travel through, such as sound and water waves. It distinguishes between pulse waves, which are sudden disturbances generating only one or a few waves, like drop of a pebble in water or thunder, and periodic waves, which repeat the same oscillation for several cycles, like wave pools. Mechanical waves are categorized as transverse or longitudinal, depending on the type of motion, with transverse waves having the disturbance perpendicular to the direction of propagation and longitudinal waves having the disturbance parallel to the direction of propagation. Examples of transverse waves include waves on guitar strings and electromagnetic waves, while sound waves in air and water are examples of longitudinal waves. The text also explains that the energy in waves can have different effects on materials depending on the type of the wave.