How any EM wave travels in a vacuum or an empty space as the propagation of any wave needs a matter or disturbance. Any wave can propagate in a disturbance only. How can it travel in vaccum? As wave's propagation needs to have any disturbance.
Asked
Active
Viewed 786 times
0
-
1Also How do electromagnetic waves travel in a vacuum? – John Rennie Jan 08 '20 at 15:48
2 Answers
1
Actually only mechanical waves need a medium to propagate. Examples of mechanical waves are waves in water and sound waves. Mechanical waves are caused by a disturbance or vibration in matter, whether solid, gas, liquid, or plasma. Medium is the matter the waves are traveling through.
The Electromagnetic waves are completely allowed to travel in a vacuum, that's actually one of their most important characteristics.
Victor Lins
- 364
1
The propagation of light is described by Maxwell's equation. Two of these equations describe
- that a change in an electric field generates a magnetic fields, and
- a change in the magnetic field generates an electric field.
Thus, we are able to picture the propagation of an electro-magnetic field (=light) as being composed of two parts, which generate each another, when they "decay". Thus, these two parts "disturb" each another -- if you like to think of it this way. Thus, they do not need a medium (ether), they only need space and time.
Semoi
- 8,739