Seismic waves originate in the Earths crust as a result of movement between the tectonic plates.

As tectonic plates move, potential energy builds up between them, until there is too much energy to be contained and it is released in the form of a seismic wave. The waves travel through the ground, which is the medium. They are also transferred into objects on the ground. This is know as an earthquake. The strength of an earthquake is measured using the Richter Scale.

Primary waves (P waves) are the fastest and travel between 1,5 - 8 km/h, as they are longitudinal. They can pass through all three phases of matter and deliver a large amount of energy to the surface in one go. Secondary waves (S waves) are slower and can only pass through a solid medium as they are transverse. They displace particles, so the energy is transferred to the surface as rolling movement, which is characteristic of most earthquakes. Surface waves (L waves) are the slowest and travel along the Earths surface, transferring energy to trees, buildings, bridges etc. As a result they are the most destructive.

Sound waves are part of the invisible spectrum. They can only be transmitted through a medium such as air or water. Sound waves also cause particles to vibrate. They are longitudinal waves and can travel at different speeds and intensities.

 Sound

waves have all the properties of other waves, but these can be translated slightly differently sue to the fact that sound is produced. The amplitude of a sound wave equates to the volume. Therefore, a greater amplitude means a louder volume. The frequency of the sound wave equates to the pitch (high or low). The greater the frequency, the higher the pitch of the sound.

 Sound

travels at different speeds according to environmental conditions. Temperature and moisture content can affect how fast a sound travels. The speed of sound is 331.4 + 0.6Tc m/s, where Tc is the temperature in Celcius. When an object travels faster than the speed of sound, it becomes supersonic or is said to break the sound barrier.

Visible light is seen as white, but can be split using a prism into its composite colours. These are red, orange, yellow, green. Blue indigo and violet. Each colour light has a different wavelength with violet having the shortest and red the longest. Light waves can travel through a vacuum. Light waves are the fastest known transverse wave and travel at 299 792 458 m/s. Light is also able to exist as waves and particles known as photons which act differently.

The human eye contains receivers called cones that see reflected light in colour. This stimulates nerves which transmit electrical messages to the brain, which interprets the images as the correct colour. As the human eye only sees reflected light, only the colour that the object reflects will be seen. A red apple is red because it reflects red light and absorbs all the other colours. All primates have colour vision. However, sometimes there is a problem with the cones and certain colours cannot be seen. This is called colour-blindness and is a genetic disorder.

Can you see the numbers in the circles. If not, you may have colour blindness. There are three different types of cones which distinguish red, green and blue. If one or more types are faulty, this leads to being unable to distinguish between colours. Very rarely, a persons cones do not work at all and they only see in black and white.