What Is The Difference Between Mechanical Waves And Electromagnetic Waves

What is the difference between mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves.

The energy of electromagnetic waves is quantized but the energy of mechanical waves is continuous. All known electromagnetic waves are also known as forms of light. Mechanical waves have to travel through something electromagnetic and waves don t. The main difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves is that mechanical waves cannot travel without a medium and can harbor speed that is limited to the speed of the medium whereas electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum with the help of any medium and can travel at the speed of light.

Electromagnetic and mechanical waves differ in that electromagnetic waves are always longitudinal and do not require a known medium while mechanical waves are either longitudinal or compression waves and require a medium. The major differences between mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves given the above the differences between mechanical waves like sound and electromagnetic waves like light are. What are mechanical waves mechanical waves consist of disturbances that can only travel through a medium. The main difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves is that electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to propagate whereas mechanical waves require a medium in order to propagate.

Mechanical waves can be classified into two categories based on the motion of the particles longitudinal and transverse. Electromagnetic waves do not require any medium to travel whereas mechanical waves must have a medium to propagate. The main difference between mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves is that mechanical waves require a medium air or water for their propagation whereas electromagnetic waves do not require a medium for their propagation can travel through space. The mechanical waves need a medium like water air or anything for it to travel.

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Electromagnetic waves are waves that have no medium to travel whereas mechanical waves need a medium for its transmission. In longitudinal waves the vibration or periodic disturbance takes place in the same direction as that of the propagation of the wave.