What is the particle motion of a longitudinal wave?

Longitudinal waves are always characterized by particle motion being parallel to wave motion. A sound wave traveling through air is a classic example of a longitudinal wave.

Are particles in a wave in SHM?

There is a close connection between simple harmonic motion and periodic waves; in most periodic waves, the particles in the medium experience simple harmonic motion. Waves can also be separated into transverse and longitudinal waves.

What type of oscillations do longitudinal waves have?

In longitudinal waves, the oscillations are along the same direction as the direction of travel and energy transfer. Sound waves and waves in a stretched spring are longitudinal waves. P waves are also longitudinal waves. Longitudinal waves show areas of compression and rarefaction .

Do longitudinal waves have Rarefactions?

Longitudinal waves show areas of compression and rarefaction : compressions are regions of high pressure due to particles being close together. rarefactions are regions of low pressure due to particles being spread further apart.

How are longitudinal waves made?

A longitudinal wave can be created in a slinky if the slinky is stretched out in a horizontal direction and the first coils of the slinky are vibrated horizontally. In such a case, each individual coil of the medium is set into vibrational motion in directions parallel to the direction that the energy is transported.

How do the particles move in a transverse wave?

Transverse Waves In a transverse wave the particle displacement is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. The particles do not move along with the wave; they simply oscillate up and down about their individual equilibrium positions as the wave passes by.

What is a longitudinal wave in science?

Longitudinal waves are a class of waves in which the particles of the disturbed medium are displaced in a direction that is parallel to the direction of propagation of the wave.

What kind of waves are electromagnetic waves?

EM waves are ‘transverse’ waves. This means that they are measured by their amplitude (height) and wavelength (distance between the highest/lowest points of two consecutive waves). The highest point of a wave is known as ‘crest’, whereas the lowest point is known as ‘trough’.

What are the characteristics of longitudinal waves?

Characteristics of Longitudinal Waves. As in the case of transverse waves the following properties can be defined for longitudinal waves: wavelength, amplitude, period, frequency and wave speed. However instead of peaks and troughs, longitudinal waves have compressions and rarefactions.

Which part of a longitudinal wave is like the longitudinal waves compression and rarefaction?

As seen in Figure 9.2, there are regions where the medium is compressed and other regions where the medium is spread out in a longitudinal wave. The region where the medium is compressed is known as a compression and the region where the medium is spread out is known as a rarefaction.

Can longitudinal waves be refracted?

Amplitude ratios and energy ratios for various reflected and refracted waves have been obtained for a longitudinal wave impinging obliquely at a plane discontinuity of two linear micropolar elastic solids in welded contact.