Do Compressions and Rarefactions Travel in the Same Direction?

the compressions and rarefactions propagate in the same direction in a wave.

How do the compressions and rarefactions travel in a longitudinal wave?

These compressions (high pressure regions) and rarefactions (low pressure regions) move out as longitudinal pressure waves having the same frequency as the string—they are the disturbance that is a sound wave. (Sound waves in air and most fluids are longitudinal, because fluids have almost no shear strength.

How do compressions and rarefactions move?

Compressions and Rarefactions

As the tines of the fork vibrate back and forth, they push on neighboring air particles. The forward motion of a tine pushes air molecules horizontally to the right and the backward retraction of the tine creates a low-pressure area allowing the air particles to move back to the left.