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#25 what type of wave are earthquake p waves (primary waves)? longitudinal waves. (with an image of a house and earthquake cracks) #27 how does energy move in a longitudinal wave?
For Question #25:
Earthquake P - waves (primary waves) are a type of seismic wave. In the study of waves in physics (a subfield of Natural Science), longitudinal waves are defined as waves where the particle displacement is parallel to the direction of wave propagation. P - waves cause compression and rarefaction in the material they travel through (like rock in the Earth), with the particles moving back and forth along the direction the wave is moving. This matches the definition of longitudinal waves.
In a longitudinal wave, the medium's particles oscillate parallel to the wave's direction. Energy transfer occurs as these particles collide elastically (or through interactions) and transfer energy. For example, in a sound wave (a longitudinal wave), air particles compress and expand, and this disturbance (with energy) moves forward as particles push adjacent particles. So energy moves in the same direction as the wave (and particle oscillations) via particle - to - particle interaction (compression and rarefaction of the medium).
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longitudinal waves