Waves

In longitudinal waves, the vibrations are parallel to the direction of wave travel, this means they are straight. In transverse waves, the vibrations are at right angles to the direction of wave travel this means they are wavy. Longitudinal waves need particles (like air or sound), but tranverse waves don’t. This is how energy from the sun reaches earth. This means that transverse waves are always faster than longitudinals.

Longitudinal waves:

Rge wave travels away from the source. The direction of the wave is parallel to the movement of the source. In a longitudinal wave, the coils do not travel horizontally, each coil of the slinky just vibrates left and right.

Identifying parts of a wave: