Which example best illustrates the transfer of energy between two waves? a) a buoy rises in the water as a boat speeds past. b) a basketball rebounds from the backboard during a missed shot. c) an egg that rolls off the counter falls and breaks on the floor. d) a car that rear ends another car causes damage to both vehicles.

Option A

Explanation: Waves (mechanical and electromagnetic) can transfer energy when they impact into something.

When a boat speeds in the water, the boat itself pushes water around it generating mechanical waves in the water, those mechanical waves now travel on the surface of the water. When those mechanical waves impact the buoy, the waves also move the buoy, and now the buy is in a "wave-like" motion (you can model the movement of the buoy as a mechanical wave, that goes up and down), so this is a good example of energy transfer.

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