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Water waves
Water waves
Physics • Waves
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As a water wave moves forward, each bit of water is moving up and down (oscillating), not forward.
Water waves are transverse waves: the direction of oscillation is 90° to the direction of energy transfer.
The amplitude of a water wave is the greatest distance water moves above and below the rest position.
Waves that pass through each other can ‘add up’ or ‘cancel out’; this is called wave superposition.
Water waves reflect from hard barriers, obeying the laws of reflection.