Question

Define longitudinal and transverse wave.

Answer 1

Longitudinal waves - In these waves the individual particles of the medium move in a direction parallel to the direction of propagation of the disturbance. The particles do not move from one place to another but they simply oscillate back and forth about their position of rest.

Sound waves are longitudinal waves.

Transverse waves - In a transverse wave particles do not oscillate along the line of wave propagation but oscillate up and down about their mean position as the wave travels. Thus a transverse wave is the one in which the individual particles of the medium move about their mean positions in a direction perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.

Light is a transverse wave.