Water waves in which the disturbance takes place in the direction of propagation are called what type?

Water waves in which the disturbance takes place in the direction of propagation are called what type?

• A. Transverse
• B. Longitudinal
• C. Surface
• D. Rotational

Answer: (B)

In a longitudinal wave, the particles of the medium move parallel to the direction the wave travels. This motion creates compressions and rarefactions along the same line as the propagation, so the disturbance is carried forward along the path of travel. Water waves on the surface involve complex, looping particle motion, but when you describe a disturbance that propagates with the medium’s displacement along the travel direction, you’re describing a longitudinal wave. Transverse waves, by contrast, have particle motion perpendicular to the travel direction, and the other terms don’t fit the standard wave-type description for this criterion.

In a longitudinal wave, the particles of the medium move parallel to the direction the wave travels. This motion creates compressions and rarefactions along the same line as the propagation, so the disturbance is carried forward along the path of travel. Water waves on the surface involve complex, looping particle motion, but when you describe a disturbance that propagates with the medium’s displacement along the travel direction, you’re describing a longitudinal wave. Transverse waves, by contrast, have particle motion perpendicular to the travel direction, and the other terms don’t fit the standard wave-type description for this criterion.