穿越地球内部的波（例如，地震波）被称为体波。相对于体波的是表面波。体波分为两种，P波（P-wave or primary wave）与S波（secondary wave）。P波意指（primary wave）或是压力波（pressure wave）。在所有地震波中，P波传递速度最快。因此发生地震时，P波最早抵达测站，并被地震仪纪录下来，这也是P波名称的由来。P波的P也能代表压力（pressure），来自于其震动传递类似声波，属于纵波的一种（或疏密波），传递时介质的震动方向与震波能量的传播方向平行。

P-waves are a type of body wave, called seismic waves in seismology, that travel through a continuum and are the first waves from an earthquake to arrive at a seismograph. The continuum is made up of gases (as sound waves), liquids, or solids, including the Earth. P-waves can be produced by earthquakes and recorded by seismographs. The name P-wave can stand for either pressure wave as it is formed from alternating compressions and rarefactions or primary wave, as it has the highest velocity and is therefore the first wave to be recorded.