Ace the BMAT 2025 – Unleash Your Biomedical Superpowers!

The main characteristic of a longitudinal wave is that the vibrations of the particles in the medium are parallel to the direction of energy transfer. In such waves, when a wave travels through a medium, the particles oscillate back and forth along the same direction that the wave travels. This is typical of sound waves, where compressions and rarefactions move in the same direction as the wave travels.

In contrast, transverse waves have vibrations that occur perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer, which is not applicable here. The option regarding both transverse and longitudinal sections suggests a mixture of wave types, but longitudinal waves are distinctly characterized by their parallel vibrations. The option about having no medium requirement does not apply to longitudinal waves, as they require a medium (like air, water, or solids) to propagate, just like other wave types. Thus, the defining characteristic of a longitudinal wave being the parallel alignment of vibrations to the direction of energy transfer makes it the correct choice in this context.