SME
Grade 11 Science · Problem type
Transverse or longitudinal?
Use this for “Is a sound wave transverse or longitudinal?”
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Which way does it vibrate, across or along its path?
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Assumptions
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Transverse: the medium moves at right angles to the way the wave travels.
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Longitudinal: the medium moves back and forth along the way the wave travels, in squeezes and stretches.
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Light needs no medium: its electric and magnetic fields swing across its path.
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