Longitudinal/Compressional waves travel back and forth or parallel to the direction the wave travels.
Compressional & Longitudinal Waves
Compressional and longitudinal waves describe waves that vibrate by pushing together and moving apart parallel to the direction in which the wave travels.
- Compressional and longitudinal waves are two different words for the same kind of wave.
Sound WavesSound waves are a great example of compressional/longitudinal waves.
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Parts of a Compressional/Longitudinal Wave
Places where particles of a medium crowd closer together are called compressions, and places where the particles spread farther apart are called rarefactions. The more energy the wave has, the closer together the particles are in compressions and the farther apart they are in rarefactions.
Compressional Wave vs. Transverse Wave
Video Guide:
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Topic Tips
- Longitudinal/Compressional waves travel back and forth or parallel to the direction the wave travels.
- Places where the particles of the medium are pushed together are called compressions.
- Places where the particles of the medium are pulled apart are called rarefactions.