Our physicists-in-residence at ScienceBlogs enjoy catching a few waves every now and then—but what kind? In the most recent installment of his Dorky Poll series, Chad Orzel asked his readers at Uncertain Principles which they preferred: Waves which oscillate perpendicular to their direction of motion—transverse waves—or longitudinal waves, which oscillate in a parallel direction. Matt Springer of Built on Facts had a ready answer for Chad: "Transverse or longitudinal waves, purely as a matter of aesthetic preference? Transverse all the way, of course."
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Yes, this can be very complicated. But what should a middle-school student understand about light? You see stuff in textbooks that is either wrong or just a bunch of disconnected factoids (I like the word factoid).
He of uncertain principles asks Which do you prefer: transverse waves, or longitudinal waves? The fact builder chimes in with a
Transverse or longitudinal waves, purely as a matter of aesthetic preference? Transverse all the way, of course.