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What are types of mechanical waves?

There are three types of mechanical waves. They are longitudinal waves, transverse waves, and surface waves. I will discuss the properties of each type of wave.


Longitudinal waves are waves in which the particles move in a direction parallel to the direction the wave moves. An example is a slinky stretched out horizontally on the ground. You send a pulse without lifting the slinky. As energy is being displaced from left to right, the individual coils will be displaced left to right. Sound waves are another example of a longitudinal wave.


Transverse waves are waves in which the particles move in a direction perpendicular to the direction the wave moves. An example is if you have a slinky stretch out horizontally and lift it up and down quickly. The direction of energy is going to go forward but the slinky is going to create a wave that goes up and down. Another example is the vibration of a string.


A surface wave is a wave in which particles of a medium undergo a circular motion. An example of a surface wave is waves in an ocean that travel along the surface.

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