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Picture two people holding holding opposite ends of a long spring that they've stretched between them. If you're familiar with the toy called a "slinky", that's what I'm talking about. Now imagine that a small portion of the slinky in the middle is painted bright orange. If one person shakes his end of the slinky up and down, a wave will propagate toward the other person. If you were to observe the orange part of the slinky, you'd see that it moves up and down with the motion of the wave. This type of motion, where the orange section moves perpendicular to length of the slinky, is called transverse motion. Hence, this is a transverse wave.

A longitudinal wave is different; it's a wave where the particle motion is parallel, rather than perpendicular, to the length. Imagine the same two people holding the same slinky with the bright orange section in the middle. Now imagine that one of the people quickly pushes his end of the slinky toward the other person, then pulls it back (as if he was imitating the motion of passing a Basketball to his friend). The motion would cause the slinky to compress slightly near the first guy. The compression wave would then travel through the spring toward the person at the other end. If you were to observe the bright orange section in the middle, you'd see that the wave motion would cause it to move back and forth along the length parallel to the length of the slinky. That's a longitudinal wave.

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What happens to the particles in a longitutinal wave as the amplitude increases?

As the amplitude of a longitudinal wave increases, the particles in the medium experience larger displacements from their equilibrium positions. This results in higher compression and rarefaction regions in the wave, leading to an increase in the wave's intensity and energy.


What is the back and forth up and down motion of a wave?

The back and forth up and down motion of a wave is called oscillation. This motion involves the movement of particles or energy in a repeated pattern around a central point. oscillation can be seen in various natural phenomena such as sound waves, light waves, and water waves.


How would you create a longitudinal wave?

To create a longitudinal wave, you would need to oscillate a source back and forth in the direction of wave propagation. This motion causes compressions and rarefactions in the medium through which the wave is traveling, leading to the propagation of the wave in the same direction. Examples of longitudinal waves include sound waves and seismic waves.


Is a radio wave longitudinal?

No, radio waves are transverse waves, meaning the oscillation of the wave is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. Longitudinal waves have oscillations parallel to the direction of wave motion.


What type of s mechanical wave is a sound wave?

A sound wave is a longitudinal mechanical wave, meaning the particles in the medium move parallel to the direction of the wave propagation. This distinguishes it from a transverse wave, where the particles move perpendicular to the wave propagation.

Related Questions

Is a noisy restraunt an example of a longitutinal wave?

No. A restaurant is not a wave.


What happens to the particles in a longitutinal wave as the amplitude increases?

As the amplitude of a longitudinal wave increases, the particles in the medium experience larger displacements from their equilibrium positions. This results in higher compression and rarefaction regions in the wave, leading to an increase in the wave's intensity and energy.


At what point in Antarctica do all of longitutinal lines meet?

at the South Pole


What is the back and forth up and down motion of a wave?

The back and forth up and down motion of a wave is called oscillation. This motion involves the movement of particles or energy in a repeated pattern around a central point. oscillation can be seen in various natural phenomena such as sound waves, light waves, and water waves.


What is the meaning of new wave technology?

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What is the homophone to wave?

The homophone for "wave" is "wave," as there is no other word that sounds the same but has a different spelling or meaning.


What is the meaning of harbor wave?

tsunami


How would you create a longitudinal wave?

To create a longitudinal wave, you would need to oscillate a source back and forth in the direction of wave propagation. This motion causes compressions and rarefactions in the medium through which the wave is traveling, leading to the propagation of the wave in the same direction. Examples of longitudinal waves include sound waves and seismic waves.


What is the meaning of AM in radio wave?

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How did tsunamies get their names?

it came from the pacific plate its from Japanese origin tsu- meaning overflowing and nami- meaning wave. Therefore tsunami means overflowing wave.


Is a radio wave longitudinal?

No, radio waves are transverse waves, meaning the oscillation of the wave is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. Longitudinal waves have oscillations parallel to the direction of wave motion.


What type of s mechanical wave is a sound wave?

A sound wave is a longitudinal mechanical wave, meaning the particles in the medium move parallel to the direction of the wave propagation. This distinguishes it from a transverse wave, where the particles move perpendicular to the wave propagation.