technoguy

A transverse wave is a wave that oscillates perpendicular to the direction it advances. For example: if a wave moves along the x-axis, its oscillations are in the yz-plane. In other words, it oscillates across the two-dimensional plane that it is travelling in. It may oscillate either vertically or horizontally, and this refers to its polarity. Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves. A transverse wave could be represented by moving a slinky, spread across a table, to the left and right or up and down. The oscillating string is another example of a transverse wave.