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Chapter 14: Problem 4

In what sense is "the wave" passing through the crowd at a football game really a wave?

Short Answer

Expert verified
In the context of a football game, 'the wave' can be considered a wave in the sense that it involves a disturbance (people standing up and sitting down) traveling through a medium (the crowd), thereby transferring energy (the movement and excitement) from one place to another.

Step by step solution

01

Define a wave

In physics, a wave is defined as a disturbance that travels through space and matter, transferring energy from one place to another. Consider this definition and its components to make the connection to 'the wave' passing through a crowd at a football game.
02

Identify the components of 'the wave' at a football game

'The wave' in a crowd is a phenomenon where people in the crowd stand up and sit down in succession, creating a visual effect of a 'wave' moving through the crowd. Identify the actions that resemble the disturbance and the travel of energy as in a physical wave.
03

Connect the definitions

Now, it can be seen that in a similar sense to the physics definition, 'the wave' in a crowd is a disturbance (people standing up and sitting down) that travels through a medium (the crowd), transferring energy (the movement and excitement) from one place to another.

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