Answer:
C
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is C. The waves push the water back and forth.
When a wave moves through the water, it causes the water particles to move in a circular pattern, but the overall motion of the water is back and forth. Let me explain it in more detail.
As a wave passes through the water, the water particles move in a circular motion, but this motion does not result in a net displacement of the water. Instead, the water particles oscillate or vibrate in a back and forth motion about their equilibrium positions. This means that the water particles do not actually move in a specific direction, but rather they oscillate up and down or side to side as the wave passes through them.
To visualize this, imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. As the pebble hits the water, it creates a series of circular waves that radiate outwards. If you observe the motion of the water particles as the wave passes through them, you would notice that they move up and down as the wave passes through, but they do not travel in the same direction as the wave.
So, in summary, the movement of water particles in a wave is characterized by a circular motion but an overall back and forth motion as the wave passes through them.