Question

1. earthquakes can cause damage devastating enough to wipe out entire cities. when an earthquake happens, two different types of seismic waves occur: p waves and s waves.

a diagram showing how the two waves differ is provided below.
based on the provided diagram, which of the following correctly identifies p - waves and s - waves?
a) p - waves and s - waves are both longitudinal waves
b) p - waves are transverse waves, while s - waves are longitudinal waves.
c) p - waves are longitudinal waves, while s - waves are transverse waves
d) p - waves and s - waves are both transverse waves.

Explanation:

Longitudinal waves have particles oscillating parallel to the wave's direction of travel, matching the top diagram (compressions and rarefactions). Transverse waves have particles oscillating perpendicular to the wave's direction, matching the bottom diagram (up-down undulations). P-waves are longitudinal seismic waves, and S-waves are transverse seismic waves.

Answer:

c) P-waves are longitudinal waves, while S-waves are transverse waves