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In longitudinal waves, how do the vibrations move?

  1. In a circular pattern

  2. Perpendicular to the wave direction

  3. In the same direction as the wave

  4. Randomly

The correct answer is: In the same direction as the wave

In longitudinal waves, the particles of the medium through which the wave travels vibrate in the same direction as the wave itself. This means that when a longitudinal wave propagates, the compressions and rarefactions produced by the wave move along the direction of the wave’s travel. This characteristic of longitudinal waves is evident in phenomena such as sound waves, where areas of high pressure (compressions) and low pressure (rarefactions) move through the air in the same direction as the wave, allowing sound to travel from one place to another. Understanding this movement is critical because it explains how energy is transferred through the medium while the medium's individual particles oscillate back and forth along the wave's path rather than moving in arcs or other patterns.