Transverse and longitudinal waves

Cards (7)

How do transverse and longitudinal waves travel?
-Transverse waves travel perpendicular to energy transfer
-Longitudinal waves travel parallel to energy transfer
What is an example of a transverse wave?
-Ripples in water
-Electromagnetic waves
What is an example of a longitudinal wave?
Sound Waves
What does a transverse wave diagram look like
A transverse wave looks like a heartbeat sensor. It has a crest and trough. (highest point in wave and lowest point). The trough is formed underneath the center line and the amplitude marks the distance from the line to the top or bottom of the line.
What is the wavelength? 
-The wavelength is the distance between two waves on a transverse wave diagram. Therefore the higher the wavelength the lower the frequency as there are less waves per second
How do we find frequency?
Frequency equation (given in exam). But frequency is the amount of waves that cross a fixed distance per second.
What does a longitudinal wave diagram look like?
It looks like a spring. The wavelength is the distance between two compressions and compressions are the areas that arent stretched on the spring. Rarefaction is the region in a longitudinal wave where the coil is further apart.