| Mechanical Waves vs Non-Mechanical Waves | |
| Mechanical Wave | Non-Mechanical Wave |
| Mechanical waves are waves that need a medium for propagation. | Non-mechanical waves are waves that do not need a medium for propagation. |
| Sound waves, water waves and seismic waves are some examples of mechanical waves. | The electromagnetic wave is the only non-mechanical wave. |
| Mechanical waves cannot travel through vacuum | Non-mechanical waves can travel through vacuum |
Matter Wave
- This concept is a little complicated to understand. The dual nature of matter; its ability to exist both as a particle and a wave was first brought to light by the founders of the field of Quantum Physics.
- For example, a beam of electrons can be diffracted just like any other beam of electromagnetic radiation or water wave. This property of matter was brought forward by Louis de Broglie’s Hypothesis.