Longitudinal Wave

Real World Example

Imagine you're waiting in line at a busy coffee shop, and the line moves forward as each person gets their order. This situation is similar to a longitudinal wave because, just like the people in line moving forward and backward as they progress towards the counter, the particles in a longitudinal wave vibrate parallel to the direction of the wave's travel. In this analogy, the people are like the particles of the wave, and their forward and backward movements correspond to the vibrations of the particles, all happening parallel to the direction in which the line (or wave) is moving.