What type of wave travels perpendicular to the direction of energy transport?

A transverse wave is characterized by its motion being perpendicular to the direction of energy transport. This means that in a transverse wave, the oscillations occur at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels. A classic example of a transverse wave is a wave on a string, where the displacement of the string is vertical while the wave travels horizontally.

Transverse waves are fundamental in various physical phenomena, including the behavior of electromagnetic waves (like light), which themselves are a specific type of transverse wave. In contrast, longitudinal waves involve oscillations that occur in the same direction as the energy transport, which is not the case for transverse waves.

Stationary waves are a bit different, as they can be formed by the interference of two traveling waves moving in opposite directions, resulting in points of no displacement (nodes) and points of maximum displacement (antinodes). These are not inherently categorized as transverse or longitudinal without context. Therefore, the distinguishing factor for recognizing transverse waves lies in their perpendicular motion associated with energy transport, confirming why this choice is the correct one.