Key ideas1 of 3
Transverse: across the travel direction
In a transverse wave, oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer. Perpendicular means at right angles. In panel A the wave travels horizontally while the material oscillates vertically. Waves on a rope and the simplified model of water ripples are examples. Electromagnetic waves are also transverse, but their oscillations are fields rather than particles of a material.
