Lesson: Seismic Waves Physics

In this lesson, we will learn how to describe the similarities and differences between infrasonic S-waves and P-waves and how they travel through the Earth’s interior.

Lesson Plan

Students will be able to

recall that seismic waves consist of longitudinal P-waves and transverse S-waves,
recall that P-waves travel faster than S-waves,
recall the state of matter of Earth’s mantle, its outer core, and its inner core,
recall that transverse waves cannot propagate within fluids,
qualitatively describe how the detection of P-waves and S-waves at different locations and times can make it possible to determine the source of these waves, called the epicenter of an earthquake.