Longitudinal wave:



Define: Longitudinal waves travel from left to right unlike transverse waves. Longitudinal waves particles are parallel to there propagation.The particles unlike a transverse wave do not travel down the tube of the wave.



Examples:Lwave.gif In these waves this is a better display of what I meant that the particles move back and forth from left to right and right to left. If you watch one individual particle you can study it and see what I mean.


Unlike transverse waves, longitudinal waves is..........full of more particles that move from left to right, and are parallel to there propagation.



other topic:

  1. Rarefied
  2. Condensed

Source:

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos/waves/wavemotion.html
http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos/waves/Lwave.gif