BRAINCAKETransverse and Longitudinal Waves
Waves are classified by the direction of the oscillations compared with the direction in which the wave transfers energy.
In a transverse wave the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer. Examples are waves on a string, ripples on water and all electromagnetic waves, in which the electric and magnetic fields oscillate at right angles to the direction of travel. A transverse wave has crests and troughs.
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More in Waves
- Energy Transfer by Waves
- Wave Measurements
- Investigating the Speed of Sound
- Pulse Echo Measurements
- Earthquakes
- Phase and Phase Difference
- Superposition
- Interference
All 22 lessons in Waves · All Edexcel AS-level Physics topics