We are all familiar with the adjectives "longitudinal" and "lateral".And not just familiar, and actively use them in everyday life.But when it comes to waves, no matter what - in the liquid air, solid matter or electromagnetic fields, it is often a series of questions.Typically, hearing the word "transverse and longitudinal waves," the average person is a sine wave.Indeed, the oscillatory disturbances in the water and it looks so life experience gives it a hint.In fact, the world is more complex and varied: there exist as longitudinal waves and transverse.
If in any environment (field, gas, liquid, solid matter) there are fluctuations, transferring energy from one point to another at a rate dependent on the properties of the medium itself, they are called waves.Due to the fact that the vibration is propagated not instantaneous phase of the wave at the starting point and any end as the distance from the source, more widely.An important point that should always be remembered: the transfer of energy through the vibrations of the particles themselves, of which the environment will not be moved, but remain in a balanced position.Moreover, if we consider the process in more detail, it is understood that the ranges are not isolated particles, and their groups, concentrated in a unit volume.This can be illustrated with an ordinary rope, if one end fixed and the other to produce undulations (in any plane), although the waves occur, the material does not break the rope that would occur in the motion of particles in its structure.
Longitudinal waves are typical only gaseous and liquid media, but the cross - and also solids.Currently, the existing classification divides all oscillatory perturbation into three groups: the electromagnetic, fluid and elastic.The latter, as you might guess from the name, inherent elastic (solid) environments, so they are sometimes called mechanical.
Longitudinal waves occur when particles in the medium range, focusing along the propagation vector of the perturbation.An example would be a blow to the end of a metal rod dense massive object.Transverse waves propagate in the direction perpendicular to the impact direction.The logical question: "Why in gases and liquids can arise only longitudinal waves"?The explanation is simple: the reason for this is that the particles constituting the data medium can move freely as not tightly fixed, as opposed to solids.Accordingly, the transverse oscillations is fundamentally impossible.
foregoing can be formulated in a slightly different way: if the medium deformation caused by disturbance, manifests itself in the form of a shear tension and compression, we are talking about a solid, for which the possibility of both longitudinal and transverse waves.If the appearance of the shift is not possible, then the medium can be any.
particular interest are the longitudinal electromagnetic waves (SEW).Although it is theoretically nothing prevents the emergence of such oscillations, the official science denies their existence in the natural environment.The reason, as always, is simple: modern electrodynamics based on the principle that electromagnetic waves can only be cross.Rejection of such a world view would entail the need to revise many fundamental beliefs.Despite this, there are many publications of the results of experiments proving the existence of almost SEW.This indirectly indicates the detection of yet another state of matter in which, in fact, possible to generate this type of waves.
