Longitudinal and Transverse Waves

Longitudinal Waves

Longitudinal waves are waves in which the displacement of the medium is in the same direction, or the opposite direction, to the direction of propagation of the wave.
An example of a longitudinal wave is a sound wave. Sound waves are created by compressions and rarefactions travelling through the air.
Compressions are regions in a wave where the particles are closest together, while rarefactions are regions where the particles are farthest apart.
The wavelength of a longitudinal wave is the distance between two consecutive compressions or two consecutive rarefactions.
In longitudinal waves, the amplitude is related to how compressed or rarefied the medium becomes. Generally, the denser the medium, the higher the amplitude.

Transverse waves are waves in which the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of the wave.
An example of a transverse wave is a light wave or a wave on a string. The oscillations are at right angles to the direction of energy transfer.
The wavelength of a transverse wave is the distance from one peak to the next (or from any point on the wave to the next identical point).
The amplitude is the maximum height of the wave (from the resting point to a peak or the deepest point to a trough).
In a transverse wave, the particles of the medium move up and down as the wave passes through.

The main difference between the two types of waves is the direction of particle movement relative to the direction of propagation.
In a longitudinal wave, the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth along the direction that the wave travels.
In a transverse wave, the particles vibrate up and down (or side to side), perpendicular to the wave’s direction.
Examples of transverse waves include light waves, radio waves, microwaves, and seismic S-waves.
Examples of longitudinal waves include sound waves, ultrasound waves, and seismic P-waves.

The frequency of a wave refers to how many waves pass a given point in a specific amount of time - wave frequency is measured in hertz (Hz).
Wavelength is the distance over which the wave’s shape repeats.
The amplitude of a wave refers to the maximum distance that the particles of a wave’s medium vibrate from their rest position.
Wave speed refers to how quickly the waves move from one place to another.
The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event. For a wave, it is the time for one wave to pass a point.