Have students in groups create concept maps comparing the two types of waves. Transverse waves on Earth can move through any medium. When transverse waves do travel through a medium, that medium will move at right angles to the direction the wave is traveling. Transverse waves carry different types of light energy, found in the electromagnetic spectrum, and they travel faster than the speed of sound. Students should also include a labeled diagram of a transverse wave showing a crest, a trough, amplitude, rest position, and wavelength.
Compressional waves carry sound energy and require a medium through which to travel.
Matter vibrates in the same direction as the wave is traveling, and waves travel slower than light or transverse waves. Students should also include a labeled diagram of a compressional wave that shows compression, rarefraction, and wavelength. Back to Top 1. Hypothesize what happens to sound waves when they reach a wall or other solid, flat object. Explain why, based on the behavior of sound waves, a classroom with a tile floor is louder than a library that is carpeted.