What is compression in longitudinal wave?

Asked by: Rodney Miller

Compression in a longitudinal wave is a region where the particles are the closest together while rarefaction in a longitudinal wave is a region where the particles are spread out.

What causes compression in a longitudinal wave?

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.

Can a longitudinal wave have a compression?

Mechanical longitudinal waves are also called compressional or compression waves, because they produce compression and rarefaction when traveling through a medium, and pressure waves, because they produce increases and decreases in pressure.

What is compression and rarefaction?

Compression is a region in a longitudinal wave where the particles are closest together. A rarefaction is a region in a longitudinal wave where the particles are furthest apart. The region where the medium is compressed is known as compression and the region where the medium is spread out is known as a rarefaction.

What is meant by compression in physics?

compression, decrease in volume of any object or substance resulting from applied stress. Compression may be undergone by solids, liquids, and gases and by living systems.

What happens in a compressional wave?

Longitudinal or compression waves are defined as waves where the particle motion is in the same direction in which the wave is propagating. The oscillations in pressure are sinusoidal in nature and are characterised by their frequency, amplitude and wavelength (Figure 9.1).

What is called compression waves?

Definition of compressional wave



: a longitudinal wave (such as a sound wave) propagated by the elastic compression of the medium. — called also compression wave.

What is compression and rarefaction in longitudinal waves?

Longitudinal waves show areas of compression and rarefaction : compressions are regions of high pressure due to particles being close together. rarefactions are regions of low pressure due to particles being spread further apart.

What is compression and rarefaction in longitudinal propagation?

A compression in a longitudinal wave is a region where the particles are the closest together while rarefaction in a longitudinal wave is a region where the particles are spread out.

What is compression and why is it used?

Compression, or “data compression,” is used to reduce the size of one or more files. When a file is compressed, it takes up less disk space than an uncompressed version and can be transferred to other systems more quickly.

What is compression in physics 9th class?

Compression is the portion of the medium where a temporary increase in volume & a decrease in density takes place when a sound wave passes through the medium.

What is compression class 8th?

Compression: A compression is defined as the region in a longitudinal wave where the particles are cloest together.

What is compression in science class 8?

a. The region in a sound wave, with higher pressure and density is called compression and that with low pressure and density is called rarefaction.

How is compression formed?

Hint Compression is formed when molecules are pressed or forced together. Compression is a region of high pressure. Rarefaction occurs where there is given extra space and is allowed to expand. It is a region where there is low pressure.

How do compressional waves move?

Compressional waves are also known as a longitudinal waves because of the way in which they travel through a medium. Compressions and rarefactions occur in the direction of travel, which is often visualized as the snapping of a slinky (see figure below).

What are the parts of a compression longitudinal wave?

The compressions are regions of high pressure due to the particles being close together rarefactions are regions of low pressure due to the particles being further apart.

What is compression on a transverse wave?

In a longitudinal wave, the crest and trough of a transverse wave correspond respectively to the compression, and the rarefaction. A compression is when the particles in the medium through which the wave is traveling are closer together than in its natural state, that is, when their density is greatest.

Which is an example of a compressional longitudinal wave?

Sound waves are a great example of compressional/longitudinal waves. Sound waves moving air particles back and forth. Your voice does the same thing to the air!

What is the difference between a compression wave and a transverse wave?

When a transverse wave moves through matter, it moves particles back and forth at right angles perpendicular to the direction of wave movement. When a compressional wave moves through matter, it makes the particles shift back and forth in the same direction as the wave movement.

Do compressional waves move at right angles?

In between the compressions, particles are spread out. These are rarefactions. When you make a wave on a rope, the wave moves from one end of the rope to the other. But the rope itself moves up and down or from side to side, at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels.