How do waves transfer energy without transferring matter?

Waves transfer energy by causing oscillations in the medium they travel through, without moving the medium itself.

Waves, whether they are sound waves, light waves, or any other type of wave, are essentially disturbances that travel through a medium. This medium could be air, water, or even a solid material. However, it's important to understand that while the wave travels through the medium, the medium itself does not travel with the wave. Instead, the particles of the medium oscillate around a fixed point, transferring energy from one particle to the next.

This process can be visualised by imagining a row of dominoes. When you knock over the first domino, it hits the second, which hits the third, and so on. The dominoes themselves don't move from their spots, but the energy from the initial push is transferred from one domino to the next. Similarly, in a wave, the energy is transferred from one particle to the next, while the particles themselves simply oscillate around their fixed points.

In the case of electromagnetic waves, such as light or radio waves, the process is slightly different as these waves can travel through a vacuum, where there are no particles to oscillate. Electromagnetic waves consist of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which generate each other. The energy is carried by the wave as it travels through space, with the oscillating fields transferring energy back and forth between each other.

In both cases, the key point is that the wave is a disturbance that travels, carrying energy with it. The medium, whether it's air, water, a solid material, or even a vacuum, does not travel with the wave. Instead, the wave causes the particles of the medium to oscillate, transferring energy from one point to another without the need for any matter to be physically moved. This is how waves can transfer energy without transferring matter.

IB Physics Tutor Summary: Waves transfer energy by making the medium's particles vibrate around their positions, not by moving the medium itself. For sound or water waves, this means particles in air or water shake but don't travel with the wave. For light or radio waves, which can go through empty space, oscillating electric and magnetic fields carry the energy. So, waves move energy, not matter.