Final answer:
After a wave passes through a medium, the particles return to their original position. In a transverse wave, particles move perpendicular to the wave direction, while in longitudinal waves, they move parallel but return to equilibrium after oscillation.
Step-by-step explanation:
After a wave passes through a medium, particles in the medium return to the original position. In a transverse wave, such as the one described as traveling from left to right, the particles of the medium move perpendicular to the direction of the wave's propagation. However, they do not get carried along with the wave; instead, they oscillate about their equilibrium positions. Waves like this create patterns where particles follow an up and down motion as the wave energy passes through, but there's no net displacement of the medium's particles in the direction of the wave's travel.
In contrast, longitudinal waves, consisting of compressions and rarefactions, involve particles oscillating parallel to the direction of wave travel. Even though particles may temporarily move forward or backward during the passage of such a wave, they still end up returning to their equilibrium position.