WAVES

 Transfers energy.
 Usually involves a periodic, repetitive movement.
 Does not result in a net movement of the medium or particles in the medium.

Types of Waves:
1. Transverse Waves: Waves in which the medium moves at right angles to the direction of the wave.
 Examples of transverse waves: Water waves (ripples of gravity waves, not sound through water),
Light waves, S-wave earthquake waves, Stringed instruments
 The high point of a transverse wave is a crest. The low part is a trough.

2. Longitudinal Wave: A longitudinal wave has the movement of the particles in the medium in the
same dimension as the direction of movement of the wave.
 Examples of longitudinal waves: Sound waves, P-type earthquake waves
 Parts of longitudinal waves:
 Compression: where the particles are close together.
 Rarefaction: where the particles are spread apart.
 ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES
 Electromagnetic waves are created as a result of vibrations produced between an electric field and
the magnetic field.
 These waves does not need any object medium for propagation and can easily travel through the
vacuum.
 The propagation of electromagnetic waves through the vacuum happens at a speed of 3*10 8m/s and
the propagation of electromagnetic waves through any medium happens at a speed which is less than
that of the speed in the vacuum.
 Electromagnetic waves are shown by a sinusoidal graph.
 It consists of time-varying electric and magnetic fields which are perpendicular to each other and are
also perpendicular to the direction of propagation of waves.
 Properties of propagation of electromagnetic waves:
• These waves travel at the speed of light.
• For propagation of these waves medium is not required.
• These waves undergo interference and diffraction.
• They can be polarized.
• These waves do not get deflected by an electric/ or magnetic
field.
• These waves travel in transverse form.
 ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES
 Electromagnetic waves are widely used in engineering applications. We use waveforms in various
types of applications such as wireless communication, Radar, Space Exploration, Marine, Radio
navigation, Remote sensing etc.

 Different parts of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum are suitable for different applications. The
different energies, frequencies, and wavelengths associated with each separate part of the EM
spectrum give advantages and disadvantages depending on their use.
 We only utilize the low-frequency parts of the electromagnetic spectrum in communications, EM
radiation with higher frequencies than visible light becomes impractical for various reasons.
 WAVE PROPAGATION & ITS
TYPES
 Radiated from an transmitter, the wave travels through different paths to reach the receiver. The
path taken by the wave to travel from the transmitter and reach the receiver is known as Wave
Propagation.
 The characteristics of wave propagation depend on the type of wave and the properties of the
medium through which it travels.
 The movement of energy mostly depends on the medium as the waves travel through them to
reach one specific point to another.
 There are different paths of propagation by which the transmitted waves can reach the receiver.
All these modes depend on the frequency of operation, the distance between transmitter and
receiver.
1. Ground wave propagation
2. Sky wave propagation
3. Space wave propagation
 GROUND WAVE
PROPAGATION
 Propagation of EM wave near earth surface(including troposphere).
 When the Transmit and Receive antenna are on earth there can be multiple paths for
communication.
 If the Transmit and Receive antenna are in line of sight (LOS)then direct path exist. The
propagating wave is called direct wave.
 When the radio waves from the transmitting antenna propagate along the surface of the earth,
to reach the receiving antenna, the wave propagation is called ground waves or surface wave
propagation. Ground waves are radio waves that travel or propagate along the surface of the
earth.
 These are mainly used for transmission between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere.
 It is known as a ground wave because it is the sum of the waves that are reflected by the
earth’s surface or any hills. The waves follow the earth’s curvature, enabling them to cover
beyond the horizon.
 GROUND WAVE
PROPAGATION
 Ground wave propagation requires a lower-power transmitter than other methods of radio
wave propagation.
 It is used for medium-range communication such as 100km to 1000km.
 mostly the frequency used for the ground wave propagation lies between 3khz to 3Mhz.
 High-frequency waves cannot be transmitted as the energy losses are more because of the
energy absorption in the earth’s atmosphere.
 These are used to cover short ranges and also involves attenuation of waves as they interact
with the eddy currents produced by the surface of the earth.

Applications:
These can be used for one-way communication from
the military to submerged submarines as they
penetrate to a significant depth into seawater.
AM, FM and television broadcasting can be done with
the help of ground waves.
 SKY WAVE
PROPAGATION
 The sky wave, often called the ionospheric wave, is radiated in an upward direction and
returned to Earth at some distant location because of refraction from the ionosphere.
 Ionosphere is the ionized layer around the Earth’s atmosphere, which is suitable for sky wave
propagation. It consists of several layers of charged particles above the surface of the earth.
 The refractive index of the ionosphere is less than its free space value and it decreases with
increases in height. Therefore radio waves go under total internal reflection.
 SKY WAVE
PROPAGATION
 This form of propagation is relatively unaffected by the Earth's surface and can propagate
signals over great distances. Usually the high frequency (hf) band is used for sky wave
propagation.
 This mode of propagation is used for long-distance communication over the ocean or other
large bodies of water.
 Sky waves have a frequency range of 2MHz to 30MHz.
 Using sky wave propagation point to point communication over long distances is possible.
With the multiple reflections of sky waves, global communication over extremely long
distances is possible.
 The disadvantage is that the signal strength can be affected by changes in the ionosphere,
which can be caused by solar activity or other factors.
 SPACE WAVE
PROPAGATION
 Space wave propagation is defined as the mode of propagation in which the radio waves
transmitted from the transmitting antenna reach the receiving antenna after travelling or
propagating through space.
 It is why the waves here are also known as space waves and propagation as line-of-sight
communication.
 TV broadcast, microwave links, and satellite communication are some of its examples. Space
waves are used for very high-frequency bands ranging from 30 MHz to 300 MHz, ultra-high
frequency (UHF) bands, and microwaves. It is because, at such high frequencies, both the
skywave propagation and ground wave propagation fail.
 Space wave propagation is defined as a category of radio wave propagation for the radio
waves that occur within 20km from the Earth's surface, i.e., the troposphere. It comprises
direct or reflected waves. It is also known by two other names:
 Tropospheric propagation as the waves here can propagate directly from the Earth's surface to its
troposphere surface.
 Line-of-sight propagation as the waves travel in a straight line and cover a minimum distance of
sight. It means the waves propagate to a distance up to which one can see with the naked eye.
 SPACE WAVE
PROPAGATION
 Space Wave Propagation Depends on Three Components:
 Direct Waves: The radio waves that, when transmitted from the transmitting antenna, reach the
receiving antenna directly.
 Ground Reflected Waves: The radio waves that reach the receiving antenna after reflection from the
ground.
 Tropospheric Wave: The radio waves that reach the receiving antenna after reflection from the
troposphere.