What are Transverse Waves?

Transverse waves refer to the waves in which particles present in the medium travels perpendicular to the direction of the wave.

• These waves have two parts: Crests and troughs.
• The top and bottom movement of the particle results in the horizontal expansion of the wave.
• It can be obtained in two mediums only on the surface of solid and liquid.
• It do not create pressure difference in the medium.
• It may be elastic waves or non elastic waves .
• Water waves, light waves is one of the examples of transverse waves.

Crest: A point in medium where the displacement is maximum on downward or negative side as compared to position of rest. It is the topmost peak of graph wave, in sound waves crest represents region of compression.

Trough: A point in medium where the displacement is maximum on upward or positive side as compared to position of rest. It is the bottommost peak of graph wave, in sound waves crest represents region of rarefaction.

Polarization

Polarization is the property of waves which describes the oscillation of waves in more than one orientation. Transverse waves exhibit property of polarization but longitudinal waves doesnt have this property. In longitudinal waves particles oscillate only in same direction as wave travels ,leaving no room for varying orientation oscillation.

Difference Between Longitudinal and Transverse Waves: Waves are disturbance that travels in the medium and transfer energy. Waves are of different types: mechanical, electromagnetic, and matter waves. The longitudinal waves are waves in which particles present in the medium travel parallel along with the direction of the wave.

The longitudinal waves consist of compression and rarefaction while Transverse waves are waves in which particles present in the medium travel perpendicularly to the direction of the wave. The transverse waves consist of crests and troughs.

In this article, we have provided the difference between longitudinal and transverse waves, along with their definition, diagrams, examples, and similarities.