Final answer:
Dropping a pebble into water generates circular waves due to energy transfer causing water molecules to oscillate. The waves exhibit decreasing amplitude as they spread out and interference patterns occur when multiple waves intersect. Misconceptions exist about water movement, but only the energy travels considerably, not the water itself.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you drop a pebble into water, it disturbs the water and generates waves that travel outward in a circular pattern from the point of impact. These waves are ripples on the surface of the water, which are created due to the transfer of energy from the pebble to the water. As the energy travels outwards, it causes the water molecules to move in an up-and-down motion, which is referred to as the wave's oscillation.
When multiple pebbles are dropped, or even with successive impacts from a single pebble, several concentric ripples are produced, leading to more complex patterns due to the interference of the waves. This interference can either amplify the waves or cancel them out, depending on how the crests and troughs align.
As circular water waves move away from where the pebble is dropped, they decrease in amplitude, which is the height of the wave. This decrease occurs because the wave's energy spreads over a larger area, thus the energy density decreases and the wave becomes less pronounced.
A common misconception is that the water itself travels a great distance with the wave. However, it is primarily the energy that moves through the water. The actual water particles only move slightly in place, predominantly oscillating up and down, rather than traveling with the wave over a long distance.
To further understand how waves work, you can conduct a take-home experiment with a bowl of water. By dropping a cork into the bowl, you can observe the different wavelengths and oscillation periods, which helps illustrate how the height from which the cork is dropped affects these wave properties.