The double-slit experiment is a fundamental experiment in physics that demonstrates the wave-particle duality of matter and the interference of waves. It is often explained using the example of light passing through two slits, but the same principles can be applied to other types of waves as well.
The reason why the illustrations of the double-slit experiment often resemble compression waves, like sound waves, is mainly due to simplification and convention. When explaining the experiment, it is common to use wave-like illustrations to help visualize the concept of interference.
In reality, the waves involved in the double-slit experiment, such as light waves or electron waves, are transverse waves. Transverse waves are characterized by oscillations that occur perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. This means that the particles or fields involved in the wave move up and down or side to side, rather than compressing and expanding like in a compression wave.
However, illustrating transverse waves can be more challenging than depicting compression waves, as they require representing motion perpendicular to the direction of propagation. To simplify the visualization and focus on the interference patterns, the illustrations of the double-slit experiment often show waves as if they were compression waves, even though this representation does not accurately depict the nature of the waves involved.
It's important to remember that the double-slit experiment is a conceptual tool used to understand the behavior of waves and particles. The actual waves involved in the experiment, such as light or electron waves, are transverse in nature, but the simplified illustrations may not accurately represent this.