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longitudinal wave

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noun Physics.
a wave in which the direction of displacement is the same as the direction of propagation, as a sound wave.

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Compare transverse wave.

Origin of longitudinal wave

First recorded in 1930–35

Words nearby longitudinal wave

longitude by account, longitudinal, longitudinal coefficient, longitudinal dune, longitudinal section, longitudinal wave, long jenny, long johns, long jump, long jumper, long-lasting
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for longitudinal wave

longitudinal wave
noun
a wave that is propagated in the same direction as the displacement of the transmitting mediumCompare transverse wave
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for longitudinal wave

longitudinal wave
A wave that oscillates back and forth on an axis that is the same as the axis along which the wave propagates. Sound waves are longitudinal waves, since the air molecules are displaced forward and backward on the same axis along which the sound travels. Compare transverse wave. See more at wave.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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