These are the waves in which the individual particles of the medium oscillate perpendicular to the direction of the wave propagation.
Example: Waves in string, ripples on the surface of water, movement of sting of stringed musical instruments like sitar, guitar etc.
We consider a horizontal string with its one end fixed to a rigid support and the other end held in the hand. If we give its free end a smart upward jerk, an upward kink or pulse is created there which travels along the string towards the fixed end. Each part of the string successfully undergoes a disturbance about its mean position.
If we continuously give up and down jerks to the free end on the string, a number of sinusoidal waves begin to travel along the string.
Each part of the string vibrates up and down while the wave travels along the string. So the wave in the string are transverse in nature.
The points (C, C, C,…….) of maximum displacement in the upward direction are called Crests. The points (T, T, T,……..) of maximum displacement in the downward direction are called Troughs. One Crests and one Troughs together form one wave.
The transverse waves, the particles motion is perpendicular to the direction of the propagation of the wave. As the wave propagates, each element of the medium undergoes a shearing strain.