Light is a transverse wave, although no actual matter is displaced by its movement. When a light wave passes a given point, there are changes in the electric and magnetic properties of space perpendicular to the direction in which the light wave is traveling. This means that electromagnetic waves are considered to be transverse waves. Sound waves, on the other hand, must have a medium such as air or water through which to propagate. Most of the sound waves that we deal with in our everyday lives travel through the air.
Sound waves are longitudinal.
This means the air particles move back and forth on paths that are parallel to the direction of wave travel and thus take the form of compressions and rarefactions of the molecules in the air itself. After studying this chapter, you will have a much better understanding of the interaction of waves in our daily lives and of how the application of such topics can explain many seemingly diverse natural occurrences. Without wave propagation, we would not receive information about the world around us by either the processes of sight or hearing. As you can imagine, our perception of the world would be quite different without the sensory input provided to us by waves. Section 6.1 Wave Properties Wave energy can be transferred as either a single pulse or as a series of periodic vibrations known as a wave train .