Past exam of the elasticity and plasticity course of the University of Oxford / 2010 / 2 / b / Solution

Apply the wave ansatz to the oscillatory displacement about a static body-force balance, or equivalently to the zero-body-force homogeneous equation. The parallel and perpendicular polarizations have speedsThe first is longitudinal and the second transverse. A wave family is dispersive when its phase speed $\omega /|\mathbf{k}|$ varies with wavenumber. In each of these homogeneous bulk families, $\omega =c|\mathbf{k}|$, so both are nondispersive and group and phase speeds coincide.

The positivity assumptions imply $\lambda >-2\mu /3$, hence $\lambda +\mu >\mu /3>0$. Therefore $c_p^2-c_s^2=(\lambda +\mu )/\rho >0$: longitudinal waves travel faster.