Question

Sound waves in air are

• A. Electromagnetic
• B. Longitudinal
• C. Polarized
• D. Transverse

Hint:

Sound moves through air by particles vibrating parallel to the direction of the wave.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Sound is produced when a source vibrates and disturbs the particles of the medium around it, here air.

In air, the particles of the medium move back and forth in the same direction in which the sound wave travels. This means there are alternate regions of compression, where particles are pushed close together, and rarefaction, where particles spread apart. A wave in which particle motion is parallel to the direction of wave travel is called a longitudinal wave.

Option A is wrong because electromagnetic waves, like light and radio waves, do not need a medium and involve oscillating electric and magnetic fields, not moving air particles.

Option C is wrong because polarization is a property of transverse waves, where vibration is restricted to one plane. Sound in air has no such plane restriction since it is longitudinal.

Option D is wrong because transverse waves have particle motion perpendicular to the direction of travel, which is not how sound behaves in a gas like air.

The correct answer is longitudinal.