- Books Name
- Science Made Easy Science Book
- Publication
- Science Made Easy
- Course
- CBSE Class 9
- Subject
- Science
Sound Waves as Longitudinal Waves
• A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth in the same direction in which
the wave is moving, is called a longitudinal wave.
→ When we push and pull the slinky compression (number of turns are more or closer) and
rarefaction (number of turns are less or farther) are formed.
→ When a wave travels along with slinky, its each turn moves back and forth by only a small
distance in the direction of wave. So the wave is longitudinal.
→ The direction of vibrations of the particles is parallel to the direction of wave.
• When one end of a slinky is moved up and down rapidly whose other end is fixed, it produces
transverse wave.
→ This wave possess along the slinky in horizontal direction, while turns of slinky (particles) vibrates
up and down at right angle to the direction of wave.
→ Thus in transverse wave particles of the medium vibrate up and down at right angles to the
direction of wave.
→ Light waves are transverse waves but they don’t need a material