When you drop a stone into water, it pushes the water around it. That push creates energy that moves outward from where the stone hit, and each part of the water moves up and down in turns, like a line of people passing a ball back and forth. This is why waves form, making ripples on the surface of the water.
Examples
- Sprinkling sand in still water to see patterns
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See also
- Why Do Waves Always Meet at the Same Point?
- How does wave propagation vary in different media?
- How does radar technology detect objects and measure their speed?
- How does light propagate?
- What are high-frequency acoustic waves?