Longitudinal can propagate through media but transverse can't?

[SaintJude]

Longitudinal waves can propagate through either solid or fluid media, but transverse or "shear" waves cannot propagate in a fluid.

Source: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/mamlak.html#c1

what?

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[pfaction]

Light passes through a fluid.

 

[deleted103644]

Source: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/mamlak.html#c1

what?

Transverse waves can (and do) occur at the surface of a body of water due to surface tension, but they can't exist anywhere else in the body of water.

 

[pfaction]

Transverse waves can (and do) occur at the surface of a body of water due to surface tension, but they can't exist anywhere else in the body of water.

HUH?! What about refraction through a water surface?

 

[SaintJude]

Transverse waves can (and do) occur at the surface of a body of water due to surface tension, but they can't exist anywhere else in the body of water.

Johnnydrama is right (Dude, who are you? And how are you so smart?!)

The same site, does mention that a ripple pond is an example of transverse wave but that occurs at the surface of body of water.

But could you please explain how/why transverse waves do not propagate through fluid? I understand that longitudinal waves do partly from personal experience (e.g. you can hear sound under water in a swimming people)

 

[MedPR]

Johnnydrama is right (Dude, who are you? And how are you so smart?!)

The same site, does mention that a ripple pond is an example of transverse wave but that occurs at the surface of body of water.

But could you please explain how/why transverse waves do not propagate through fluid? I understand that longitudinal waves do partly from personal experience (e.g. you can hear sound under water in a swimming people)

We can see.. If transverse waves didn't travel through media, I don't think we'd be able to see anything.

 

[pfaction]

okay I'm seriously what the ****ing right now. If transverse waves cannot pass through media then I'm wasting my time with refraction.

 

[milski]

HUH?! What about refraction through a water surface?

There is no displacement of the water particles when that happens - just changes in the E/M fields. In that case the water is not the media.

 

[deleted103644]

Johnnydrama is right (Dude, who are you? And how are you so smart?!)

The same site, does mention that a ripple pond is an example of transverse wave but that occurs at the surface of body of water.

But could you please explain how/why transverse waves do not propagate through fluid? I understand that longitudinal waves do partly from personal experience (e.g. you can hear sound under water in a swimming people)

You need to have tension to transmit a transverse wave, there's no tension between particles in a fluid or gas unless you're on an interface.

 

[MedPR]

You need to have tension to transmit a transverse wave, there's no tension between particles in a fluid or gas unless you're on an interface.

What do we see if not light traveling through air?

 

[pfaction]

So wait a minute, are light waves not being transmitted through the liquid media then? Whats going on?!

 

[deleted103644]

Light passes through many things, but it's a vibration in the fabric of spacetime, not of the random material it's passing through.

 

[SaintJude]

I would be skeptical about the claim myself, but Hyperphysics is usually on spot. It's written by a bunch of serious scientists...

 

[SaintJude]

You need to have tension to transmit a transverse wave, there's no tension between particles in a fluid or gas unless you're on an interface.

Ah, yes is this why speed = sqrt (restoring force/ resistance) ? This is crazy.

Light passes through many things, but it's a vibration in the fabric of spacetime, not of the random material it's passing through.

So transverse waves & longitudinal waves: travel through gases
transverse waves : only solids & gases
longitudinal waves: fluid, solids & gases

 

[milski]

Light passes through many things, but it's a vibration in the fabric of spacetime, not of the random material it's passing through.

That. Until early 20th century physicists thought that there is special 'ether' interwoven in everything and transmitting electromagnetic waves. Eventually, they proved that it does not exist. It gets more complicated after that but the point is that water/glass/whatever is not the media transmitting light and as such is irrelevant if it is a fluid/solid/gas.

 

[deleted103644]

Ah, yes is this why speed = sqrt (restoring force/ resistance) ? This is crazy.

Light passes through many things, but it's a vibration in the fabric of spacetime, not of the random material it's passing through.

So transverse waves & longitudinal waves: travel through gases
transverse waves : only solids & gases
longitudinal waves: fluid, solids & gases

Nope, no transverse waves through gas either.

Only solids and surfaces.

 

[pfaction]

...So what do we do for the MCAT if it asks about light transmittence through a fluid?

 

[deleted103644]

...So what do we do for the MCAT if it asks about light transmittence through a fluid?

What would the question be?

Don't say that water is the medium.

 

[SaintJude]

Think biggest lesson from this post is that that "You need to have tension to transmit a transverse wave" and this would most likely be relevant to a passage that may ask you to conclude how the data is interpreted as in the picture below. Geologists use this fact to detect liquid regions below surface.
The answer would probably deal with something about how transverse waves only travel through solids (and surfaces)

Thank you JohnnyDrama!!

 

[hellocubed]

wow, the things you learn on this board, haha.

That is awesome.


So light itself is not actually being transmitted through the medium, but IS INTERACTING with the medium (causing fluorescence, kinetic energy, etc)?