What word describes the substance through which a wave travels?

What word describes the substance through which a wave travels?

• A. Vacuum
• B. Crest
• C. Medium
• D. Amplitude

Answer: (C)

Waves often need something to move through, which is called the medium. A medium is any matter—air, water, or a solid—that carries the wave’s energy from one place to another. Mechanical waves like sound travel by vibrating particles in the medium, while light can travel through empty space, but that’s a specialized case. Crest refers to the top part of a wave, and amplitude describes how tall the wave is, not what it travels through. Vacuum is empty space; some waves can move through it, but the general term for the substance a wave travels through is medium.

Waves often need something to move through, which is called the medium. A medium is any matter—air, water, or a solid—that carries the wave’s energy from one place to another. Mechanical waves like sound travel by vibrating particles in the medium, while light can travel through empty space, but that’s a specialized case. Crest refers to the top part of a wave, and amplitude describes how tall the wave is, not what it travels through. Vacuum is empty space; some waves can move through it, but the general term for the substance a wave travels through is medium.