Cambridge IGCSE Physics · Syllabus 0625 · Waves
Transverse Wave
What is Transverse Wave?
A transverse wave is one in which the direction of vibration is at right angles to the direction of propagation; electromagnetic radiation, water waves and seismic S-waves can all be modelled as transverse.
This definition is part of the Waves chapter in Cambridge IGCSE Physics.
Transverse Wave in context
The electromagnetic spectrum is one continuous family of transverse waves. They all transfer energy, they all travel at the same high speed in a vacuum — far faster than sound — and they all need no material medium. In order of increasing frequency and therefore decreasing wavelength the main regions are: radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma. Each region is used for the jobs its particular frequency and wavelength suit, and the hazards change as you move along the spectrum: heating at the low-frequency end, and ionising damage to cells at the high-frequency end.
Examiner tips on Transverse Wave
- Answering “state the difference”. A difference needs both halves and a stated reference direction. “Transverse vibrates up and down” states nothing on its own, because up and down is meaningless without saying what it is relative to. Write: “In a transverse wave the vibration is at right angles to the direction of propagation; in a longitudinal wave the vibration is parallel to it.” The syllabus wording is direction of propagation, so use that phrase rather than “direction of energy transfer” when the question asks for the definition.