Question

Venn diagrams are used for comparing and contrasting topics. The overlapping sections show characteristics that the topics have in common, and the sections that are unique to each topic show the characteristics that apply to only that topic. This Venn diagram is comparing longitudinal waves and transverse waves. Where is the error in this Venn diagram?

A.“Parallel” and “Perpendicular” are switched.
B.The slinky descriptions of motion are switched.
C. Particles travel along the wave in longitudinal waves.
D.Particles move long distances in transverse waves.

Answer 1

B.The slinky descriptions of motion are switched.

Step-by-step explanation:

First of all, let's define the two types of wave:

- Transverse wave: in a transverse wave, the oscillation of the wave occurs in a direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave. An example of transverse wave are electromagnetic waves.

- Longitudinal wave: in a longitudinal wave, the oscillation of the wave occurs in a direction parallel to the direction of propagation of the wave. An example of longitudinal wave are sound waves.

According to these definitions, we notice that the following descriptions of motion must be switched:

- "Like moving a spring up and down" --> this better describes a transverse wave, because the motion up/down is perpendicular to the direction of the spring

- "Like moving a spring back and forth" --> this better describes a longitudinal wave, because the back/forth motion is parallel to the direction of the spring