Lesson 6 of 8 · Waves

Experiment⭐ 30 XP

Transverse and Longitudinal Waves Compared

🧪Lab Brief #6

Transverse and Longitudinal Waves Compared.

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

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Mind = Blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

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Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

What You'll Learn

In a transverse wave the particles move at right angles to the travel direction; in a longitudinal wave they move along it, making compressions and rarefactions. Light is transverse, sound is longitudinal, and only the first can be polarised.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

slinky spring
two polarising filters

Safety First

Hold both ends of the slinky and keep it away from faces.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.

Step 2 — Do

Produce both wave types on a slinky and sketch each, marking the oscillation direction against the travel direction. Then look through two polarising filters and rotate one to show light is transverse.

Step 3 — Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 — Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 2

Which wave type can be polarised?

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

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Where you see this in real life

This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

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For the dinner table

“What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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