Which statement best describes a transverse wave?

Which statement best describes a transverse wave?

• A. The vibration of the medium is parallel to the direction of travel
• B. The medium moves perpendicular to the direction of wave travel
• C. The region where particles are spread apart
• D. The wavelength is measured in meters

Answer: (B)

In a transverse wave, the motion of the medium is perpendicular to the direction the wave travels. This means the particles move up and down (or side to side) while the wave moves forward. Plucking a rope illustrates this: the disturbance travels along the rope, but the rope’s particles oscillate perpendicular to that travel direction, creating crests and troughs. The other ideas describe different aspects. If the vibration were parallel to the wave’s travel, that would be a longitudinal wave, where particles move back and forth along the direction of travel, creating compressions and rarefactions. The idea of regions where particles are spread apart refers to rarefactions, which occur in longitudinal waves, not transverse ones. And wavelength being measured in meters is a property of the wave, not a description of the particle motion.

In a transverse wave, the motion of the medium is perpendicular to the direction the wave travels. This means the particles move up and down (or side to side) while the wave moves forward. Plucking a rope illustrates this: the disturbance travels along the rope, but the rope’s particles oscillate perpendicular to that travel direction, creating crests and troughs.

The other ideas describe different aspects. If the vibration were parallel to the wave’s travel, that would be a longitudinal wave, where particles move back and forth along the direction of travel, creating compressions and rarefactions. The idea of regions where particles are spread apart refers to rarefactions, which occur in longitudinal waves, not transverse ones. And wavelength being measured in meters is a property of the wave, not a description of the particle motion.