What type of wave includes both sound waves and seismic waves?

The correct answer is mechanical waves. Mechanical waves require a medium, such as air, water, or solid materials, to travel through. Both sound waves and seismic waves fall under this category because they rely on the vibration of particles in these media to propagate.

Sound waves are pressure waves that travel through air or other materials by compressing and rarefying the medium. Similarly, seismic waves, which occur during earthquakes, travel through the Earth and involve the movement of the Earth's material.

In contrast, electromagnetic waves (like light and radio waves) do not need a medium to travel; they can propagate through a vacuum. Transverse and longitudinal waves are terms that describe the way mechanical waves can move, with transverse waves moving perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer (like waves on a string) and longitudinal waves moving parallel (like sound waves). However, since both sound and seismic waves require a medium, they are best classified as mechanical waves.