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Transverse and Longitudinal Waves
Concepts tested here
- Nature of sound and light waves
All Questions
2006 AIPMT-PRE 1 question
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Which one of the following statements is true :Sound waves in air travel as compressions and rarefactions; the particles of air vibrate along the direction of propagation. So sound waves in air are longitudinal.
A gas cannot sustain shearing stress, so transverse mechanical waves cannot travel through air.
Light waves are electromagnetic waves, in which the electric and magnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to the direction of propagation. So light waves are transverse; this is shown by the fact that light can be polarised.
Sound is a mechanical wave and needs a material medium, so it cannot travel in vacuum, while light can.
So the true statement is that the sound waves in air are longitudinal while the light waves are transverse.