Transverse/longitudinal

• Waves


  Transfer energy from one place to another
• Waves are produced as a result of vibrations
• Waves


  • Can be classified as transverse or longitudinal
  • Depends upon how the particles are made to vibrate as the energy passes
• Longitudinal waves


  1. Particles vibrate parallel to the direction in which the wave of energy is travelling

  2. Places where the coils or particles are bunched together are called compressions

  3. Places where they are furthest apart are called rarefactions
• Longitudinal waves


  • Sound
• Transverse waves


  1. Hand moves up and down, slinky moves up and down, but the wave itself moves from left to right

  2. Particles vibrate at 90 degrees to the direction that the energy is moving
• In longitudinal waves, the hand pulses horizontally pushing and pulling and the wave energy also moves horizontally back and forward
• In transverse waves, the hand moves up and down but the wave energy still moves horizontally
• Wavelength


  The distance between two consecutive peaks or troughs of a wave
• Amplitude


  The maximum displacement of a particle in a wave from its rest position
• Transverse waves


  • Waves on the surface of water
  • All types of electromagnetic waves like visible light