WAVES AND VIBRATIONS TRANSFER ENERGY

Waves transfer energy from sources to objects that absorb them. Sources of waves, such as musical instruments and light bulbs, are constantly emitting energy via the waves that are propagated from them. The energy is stored in the waves and travels with them where ever they go...sometimes for millions of years!

In the immediate environment, most waves are absorbed by some other object, and the energy is transformed again. Usually, energy in electromagnetic or mechanical waves is converted into heat (thermal energy). Solar cells transform some of the light energy into electrical energy; green leaves transform light energy into chemical energy (food). When waves are absorbed by an object the waves cease to exist. The energy, however, is never destroyed; it is converted into some other form.

(WRESA, Stanks Helen (1995) Guide to Model Assessment)