transverse waves can't propagate in gases?

Question

I was doing some revision and i came across this statement, "transverse waves can't propagate in gases". i dont really understand this, wouldnt this mean that they can't travel through air? and wouldnt this mean that we shouldnt be able to see light??
i think i may be getting confused with what "propogates" means because i looked it up, the statement is valid.
(i also looked up propagation and it came up with,"the movement of a wave through a medium"
very, very confused!)

Answer 1

Transverse waves cannot use the medium of the gas to do their propagation. That is what it means.



Light isn't using the medium of the air's gaseous material to do its propagation, in the same way that sound uses the air's gaseous material to do its propagation. Or in the way that a wave on a string uses transverse vibrations of the string to do its propagation.



Light enters the medium of air, and each atom it encounters causes it to be absorbed, waste time, and be re-emitted to traveling through intermolecular space. The molecules of any transparent medium are more like the "stop signs" for light than its "roadway". Empty space is light's "roadway". Or you could also say that the electric and magnetic fields are light's "roadway".



Yes, propagation is "the movement of a wave through a medium", but I should also add "or lack of a medium there of". Light can travel without a medium, and "doesn't care" that there is a medium (unless you consider "the electric and magnetic fields" to be light's medium).

Answer 2

Hello Tina dear, propagation means the passing of energy from one point to the other point in a medium.

For transverse wave, cohesion is an important property in the medium through which the wave energy can be transported. Air does not have such a cohesion property. Hence there is no chance for transverse waves to be propagated through air medium.

Light is, of course is a transverse wave. But it is not a mechanical wave and it is only an electromagnetic wave. Being electromagnetic even through vacuum light can be propagated.

Answer 3

propagate means to trasmit.

trasverse waves are the ones which are trasmitted when the particles of the medium vibrate up and down ie at right angles to the direction of wave.like the waves which r produced when a pebble is thrown in water.

light is an electromagnetic wave. while propagating it creates an electromagnetic field. about this field one is introduced in higher classes (like in 11th)



thank u