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longitudinal wave  The diagram illustrates the motion of a longitudinal wave. Sound, for example, travels through air in longitudinal waves: the waves vibrate back and forth in the direction of travel. In the compressions the particles are pushed together, and in the rarefactions they are pulled apart. | Wave in which the displacement of the medium's particles is in line with or parallel to the direction of travel of the wave motion. |
| Various methods are used to reproduce waves, such as a ripple tank or a loosely-coiled spring, in order to understand their properties. If a loosely-coiled spring is given a slight ‘pushing’ force, the wave travels in the same direction as the movement of the coils. The waves consist of a series of compressions (where the coils of the spring are pressed together) and rarefactions (where the coils of the spring are more widely spaced). This is known as a longitudinal wave. The moving coils represent waves travelling along the spring. The spring remains as it was after the wave has travelled along the spring; waves carry energy from one place to another but they do not transfer matter. Sound waves are an example of longitudinal waves. |
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