Types of Waves

There are two types of waves, transverse and longitudinal.

Transverse waves move in a direction perpendicular to the force that creates them.
A way to picture a transverse wave is that the wave moves perpendicularly to the medium.
The wave might be going to the left or right, and the medium will be going up and down.

The other type of wave is created by a force that moves in the same direction as the wave that it creates. These are longitudinal waves.
In longitudinal waves, energy moves in a motion of expansion and contraction.
If the medium is moving left and right, the wave is moving parallel with it in the direction of the original force (either to the left or right).

Thank you for reading!