SciTech Magazine: Waves!

Waves are a disturbance of particles of a particular substance in a way which energy can be transferred. Some examples of energy forms are motion, sound, and heat. It is important to know about how waves work and their applications as waves are a part of our everyday lives, in ways that we might not have known about before.

There are two main categories of waves: transverse and longitudinal. Longitudinal waves usually refer to sound waves or ocean waves. On the other hand, transverse waves are waves on the electromagnetic spectrum. So for instance, ultraviolet waves and infrared waves are transverse. Also, waves can be categorized as mechanical or non-mechanical. Mechanical waves need a medium to travel in, while non-mechanical waves don’t.

Waves in Medicine

You may have already heard of the term “ultrasound imaging” when your mother or female relative was pregnant and wanted to see the baby as the developing fetus.

Ultrasound imaging is used to scan and keep track of a “developing fetus” or unborn baby in a woman’s uterus. And ultrasound machine releases sound waves with high frequency. As the emitted sounds waves hit and reflect the different tissues in the human body, the computer creates an image of the.

Ultrasonography is also used in other medical areas, such as breaking cataracts and breaking kidney stones.

Waves in the Research Industry

Sound waves are used in the research industry as well. A well-known example would be “sonar”, which is the detection of underground and underwater current movements using sound waves. Basically, a sound wave is sent out into the water, and whenever it hits something, the echo made will be analyzed. An example of sonar would be tracking the migration of sea turtles.

Waves in Media

Radio waves are transverse, non-mechanical waves. They are naturally created by lightning and astronomical objects. However, radio waves can be artificially made as well. Radio waves are created by humans through broadcast radio towers, cell phones, satellites and radar.

Extremely low frequency (ELF) radio waves are used for communication in submerged submarines. This is because these radio waves are able to get into the water. AM and FM radio waves are used to carry commercial radio signals