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What is the difference between electromagnetic waves and other waves?

Answer 1

Electromagnetic waves do not need a medium to transport its energy.

There are two types of waves: Mechanical and electromagnetic.

Mechanical waves need a medium, like an atmosphere or water, to transport its energy. Typically you might think of waves like sound. This is because sound is the compression of molecules through vibrations. (This is why "No one can hear you scream in space". Nothing to compress). When you clap, for example, you are distorting the air around your hands. You might have seen sound be expressed in waves, but this is truly the density of molecules.

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Answer 2

Michael Adkins

Electromagnetic waves differ from other waves because they do not require a medium to propagate and can travel through a vacuum. Other waves, such as sound waves and water waves, require a medium to travel through. Additionally, electromagnetic waves consist of oscillating electric and magnetic fields perpendicular to each other, while other waves exhibit different types of oscillations depending on the medium through which they propagate.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.