Helpmyphysics

A transverse wave is a wave which makes the particles it passes through vibrate up and down.

We say that the vibrations are at right angles to the direction of wave travel

Examples of transverse waves are waves on a string, S-waves in earthquakes.

Play the above movie and watch how the particle moves as the wave passes.

You can also measure the period T of the wave and if you measure the wavelength you can work out the wave speed.

Download a larger screen version of the above movie here.
You will be given a warning that the exe file is potentially dangerous but in this case it is safe.