Meaning & use
longitudinal wave
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Meaning
nouncountablephysicstechnical
A wave in which the particles of the medium move back and forth in the same direction as the wave travels.
Grammar: Countable: say a longitudinal wave, longitudinal waves.
Patterns
- a longitudinal wave travels through something
- longitudinal waves in a medium
Sound traveling through air is a longitudinal wave because the air particles vibrate along the same line as the sound.
In a longitudinal wave, the particles push together and pull apart as the wave passes.
The teacher showed a longitudinal wave using a stretched spring that was pushed and pulled at one end.
Word forms
| plural | longitudinal waves |
|---|
Common combinations
- sound is a longitudinal wave
- Sound is a longitudinal wave, so it can travel through gases, liquids, and solids.
- longitudinal wave motion
- The diagram shows longitudinal wave motion with areas of compression and rarefaction.
- a longitudinal wave passes through
- When a longitudinal wave passes through the air, the pressure changes in a regular pattern.
Synonyms and how they differ
Opposites
Commonly confused: longitudinal wave or transverse wave?
longitudinal wave vs transverse wave
In a transverse wave, the particles move at right angles to the direction of the wave, like a wave on a rope. In a longitudinal wave, they move back and forth along the same line.
Practice
Which of these is an example of a longitudinal wave?
Choose one answer.
Sound traveling through water is a longitudinal wave because the water particles vibrate in the same direction as the sound travels. Light and waves on a string or ocean surface are transverse waves, where the motion is at right angles to the wave direction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “longitudinal wave”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.