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Lesson: Chapter 4 — Waves and their applications

4.1.2. Longitudinal waves 2 of 3

Sound is a longitudinal wave

Sound is the most important longitudinal wave you meet. It begins with something vibrating.

Feel a vibration

Strike a tuning fork and touch one of its prongs gently with your fingertip. You feel a faint tingling. It happens because the prong keeps pressing into your fingertip and moving away again.

Vibration

The to-and-fro motion of the sounding tuning fork is called a vibration.

From vibration to hearing

Sound is produced by vibrations like these. The waves the vibrations set up reach our ears and give us the sensation of hearing. Waves that cause the sensation of hearing are called sound waves.

Sound waves travelling through air are an example of longitudinal waves.