Longitudinal Wave - Physics Demonstrations - Longitudinal Wave | Physics Undergraduate Labs

Purpose

Demonstrates longitudinal wave pulses in a Slinky, showing compressions and rarefactions traveling parallel to the wave direction. Helps students distinguish longitudinal from transverse waves and see that individual coils oscillate locally while the wave pattern propagates.

Plastic Slinky threaded on a meter stick between two bench clamp stands at eye level, in front of a chalkboard

Large metal Slinky stretched along a green lecture bench, clamped at the far end, with compressed coils visible at the near end

Large metal Slinky stretched along a green lecture bench, viewed from bench level

Figure 1: Eye-level setup: plastic Slinky on a meter stick supported by bench clamp stands with cross clamps.

Figure 2: Bench-level setup: large metal Slinky clamped to the bench end and stretched along its length.

Figure 3: The metal Slinky stretched along the full bench length.