Types of Waves

There are two main types of waves, transverse and longitudinal.

Transverse waves 

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In a transverse wave, the vibrations of the wave are at right angles to the direction of travel, a few examples of this type of wave are:

• Ripples/waves on the surface of the water.

• Electromagnetic waves, eg. light waves, microwaves or radio waves.

• Seismic S-waves.

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A way to remember the direction of travel in transverse waves is by using the letter 'r', tRansverse, Right angles. 

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Longitudinal waves

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In a longitudinal wave, the vibrations of the wave travell parallel to the direction of travel, a few examples of a longitudinal wave are:

• Seismic P-waves 

• Ultrasound waves 

• Sound waves 

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Longitudinal waves look like this:

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A way to remember the direction of travel is that the lines in this diagram are parallel or with the letter Parallel, seismic P-waves