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As a wave moves through different materials, different phenomena occur: Geometrical spreading, Absorption, Reflection/Refraction, and Diffraction

Geometrical Spreading: Wave spreads over a larger surface as it travels through the medium. For a spherical wave, the wave energy falls off as the square of the distance.

Absorption: A part of wave energy is dissipated into the earth as heat. Wave energy falls off exponentially with distance.

Reflection/Refraction: When a wave encounters an interface between two layers, part of its energy is reflected back. The other part is refracted (transmitted) into the other medium.

Diffraction: It occurs when wave encounters sharp discontinuities in the medium.

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P waves, or primary waves, can travel through solids, liquids, and gases. They are capable of traveling through the Earth's interior, including its crust and mantle. P waves are the fastest seismic waves and are the first to be detected by seismometers during an earthquake.

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P waves can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.

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It can travel through seismec waves.

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Rock, soil, and sometimes water.

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rocks

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Rocks

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Q: What medium do P waves travel through?
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Which type of EQ waves can only go through solids?

S-waves (secondary waves) can only travel through solids because they move in a shearing, side-to-side motion that requires a rigid medium to propagate. P-waves (primary waves) can travel through both solids and fluids.


Do p waves travel through gases?

Yes, P-waves (primary waves) can travel through gases, liquids, and solids. They are seismic waves that are the fastest and can propagate through any material, including the Earth's atmosphere.


What is the sub-type of seismic waves?

The sub-types of seismic waves are primary (P) waves, secondary (S) waves, and surface waves. P waves are the fastest seismic waves and travel through solids, liquids, and gases. S waves are slower than P waves and only travel through solids. Surface waves are slower than both P and S waves and travel along the Earth's surface.


Certain seismic waves travel as?

There are three main types of seismic waves that travel through the Earth: P-waves (primary waves) are the fastest and can travel through solids, liquids, and gases. S-waves (secondary waves) follow P-waves and can only travel through solids, not liquids or gases. Surface waves travel along the Earth's surface and are responsible for most of the damage during an earthquake.


What can p waves travel through?

S waves usually travel through most things and are felt as the massive shocks after an earthquake. At times the radiation caused by these s waves may cause green pigmentation in your skin. Therefore, s waves are able to travel through skin. On one occasion, s waves were observed to have travelled through dirt, and the endoplasmic reticulum of the element water. In response to your question, s waves seem to generally be able to travel on earth. But due to the gravitational inertia of the Earth's spin, s-waves can travel in symmetric circular paths meaning that dipoles of the magnetic field on Earth will cancel and results in a non-polar s wave.

Related questions

Can s and p waves go through the same medium?

Yes, both S (shear) and P (primary) waves can travel through the same medium, such as solid, liquid, or gas. P-waves are faster and can travel through all types of mediums, while S-waves are slower and can only travel through solid materials.


What kind of seismic waves do and do not travel through liquid?

Both P-waves (primary waves) and S-waves (secondary waves) can travel through solid and liquid materials. However, S-waves cannot propagate through liquids as they require a solid medium for transmission.


What state of matter do P and S waves travel through?

P and S waves are seismic waves that travel through the earth's solid layers, which means they travel through the solid state of matter.


Why p waves can't pass through liquid?

P-waves cannot pass through liquid because liquids are not able to support the shear stress that P-waves generate. P-waves travel by compressing and expanding the material they pass through, and liquids do not have the ability to transmit these compressional forces. This causes the P-waves to be absorbed or converted into S-waves upon encountering a liquid medium.


Can s-waves travel through liquid?

P-waves are type of elastic wave, also called seismic waves, that can travel through gases (such as sounds), elastic solids and liquids, including the Earth. P-waves can be produced by earthquakes and recorded by seismometers. The name P-wave stands for primary wave, as the P-wave is the fastest among the elastic waves, compared to the S-waves.(Sources Wikipedia). Hope that helps! :D


A seismogram shows that p waves travel?

The seismogram shows that P waves travel faster than S waves, as they are the first waves to arrive at the seismograph station after an earthquake occurs. P waves are compressional waves that can travel through solids, liquids, and gases, whereas S waves are shear waves that can only travel through solids.


Can a p wave travel through gas?

Yes, a P-wave can travel through gas. P-waves are seismic waves that are the fastest and can travel through solids, liquids, and gases. They compress and expand the material they travel through, which allows them to propagate through gases as well.


Which type of EQ waves can only go through solids?

S-waves (secondary waves) can only travel through solids because they move in a shearing, side-to-side motion that requires a rigid medium to propagate. P-waves (primary waves) can travel through both solids and fluids.


What types of waves are P and S waves?

P-Wave is a Primary Wave. It goes through land and water. S-Wave is a Secondary Wave. It only goes through land. They are both seismic waves. Strictly speaking they are both seismic body waves - they ravel through a specific medium rather than along a surface. P-waves are longitudinal / compression waves whereas S-waves are transverse / shear waves. Because of this P waves can travel through solids, liquids and gasses whereas S-waves can only travel through solids.


Which wave travels farther p-waves or s-waves?

P-waves travel farther than S-waves because they are faster and can pass through both solid and liquid materials. S-waves, on the other hand, are slower and can only travel through solid materials, so their range is more limited.


What earthquake waves travel through solids?

P waves or primary waves.


What does a medium seismic wave travel through?

Seismic waves are vibrations generated by an earthquake. They travel along the surface of the Earth and through the earth. They are a type of wave known as a mechanical wave and as such (unlike electromagnetic waves) require a medium through which to travel. Seismic waves can be split into body and surface waves. The body waves can be split into two main types, the P-wave or primary wave which is a compression or longitudinal wave which can travel through solids, liquids and gasses and the S-wave which is a transverse or shear wave and can only travel through solids.