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Why sound is a longitudinal wavE? ............. Wwhy do speed is fastest in solids as compared to gases..???

Why sound is a longitudinal wavE? 
............. Wwhy do speed is fastest in solids as compared to gases..??? 

Grade:7

2 Answers

Vikas TU
14149 Points
4 years ago
Dear student 
Sound waves are longitudinal waves because particles of the medium through which the sound is transported vibrate parallel to the direction which the sound moves. A vibrating string can create longitudinal waves as depicted in the animation below. As the vibrating string moves in the forward direction, it begins to push upon surrounding air molecules, moving them to the right towards their nearest neighbor. This causes the air molecules to the right of the string to be compressed into a small region of space. As the vibrating string moves in the reverse direction (leftward), it lowers the pressure of the air immediately to its right, thus causing air molecules to move back leftward. The lower pressure to the right of the string causes air molecules in that region immediately to the right of the string to expand into a large region of space. The back and forth vibration of the string causes individual air molecules (or a layer of air molecules) in the region immediately to the right of the string to continually move back and forth horizontally; the molecules move rightward as the string moves rightward and then leftward as the string moves leftward. These back and forth vibrations are imparted to adjacent neighbors by particle interaction; thus, other surrounding particles begin to move rightward and leftward, thus sending a wave to the right. Since air molecules (the particles of the medium) are moving in a direction which is parallel to the direction which the wave moves, the sound wave is referred to as a longitudinal wave. The result of such longitudinal vibrations is the creation of  compressions  and rarefactions  within the air.
Vikas TU
14149 Points
4 years ago
Dear student 
Please ask only one question in a thread. 
Hope you will understand 
Good Luck …................. 

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