any wave that oscillates across the two-dimensional plane through which it travels; any wave that causes a crosswise disturbance of the medium through which it travels
Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves.
| transverse wave A wave that oscillates perpendicular to the axis along which the wave travels. Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves, since the electric and magnetic fields oscillate at a right angle to the direction of motion. Waves in bodies of water are also transverse waves, since the molecules of water oscillate up and down perpendicular to the direction of the wave's motion. Compare longitudinal wave. See more at wave. |
motion in which all points on a wave oscillate along paths at right angles to the direction of the wave's advance. Surface ripples on water, seismic S (secondary) waves, and electromagnetic (e.g., radio and light) waves are examples of transverse waves