Question

Q) Suppose, you are in a sporting event. You notice that everyone stands up when it’s his turn,

creating a wave that moves through the crowd and they sit back down again after a while. This wave
move around the stadium without moving the people around it. Considering this situation, justify
your answer about nature of wave.

Answer 1

The nature of the wave formed is a transverse progressive wave.

Step-by-step explanation:

A wave is a disturbance that travels through a material medium without permanent displacement of the particles of the medium. The two major types are: transverse and longitudinal.

A transverse wave is one in which the direction of vibration of the particles of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave. Examples are: water wave, light wave etc. While a longitudinal wave is one in which the direction of vibrations of the particles of the medium is parallel with the direction of propagation of the wave, creating a region of rarefaction and compression. Examples are; sound wave, wave in a rope, wave in a slinky etc.

The cited wave formed in the given question is a transverse wave because each person stands and sits after some time to create a moving (progressive) wave without them moving from their positions.