How was the sound variation traced on Edison's early wax cylinders?
Answer
Vertically (up and down)
A key characteristic of the cylinder format was that the groove was cut vertically, meaning the stylus moved up and down to trace the sound variations.

#Videos
Emile Berliner, Kammer & Reinhardt Gramophones, First ... - YouTube
Related Questions
When was Thomas Edison’s phonograph patented?How was the sound variation traced on Edison's early wax cylinders?What was the fundamental difference Berliner introduced regarding the groove cut on his disc?What material were Berliner's initial flat discs manufactured from before durability improvements?In what year did Emile Berliner successfully demonstrate his flat disc player, the Gramophone?Approximately how many revolutions per minute (rpm) did the early, seven-inch Gramophone discs revolve at?What durable resinous substance, secreted by the lac insect, replaced zinc for consumer disc use?What manufacturing shift was the single most important element separating the gramophone from the phonograph?By what year did the Columbia Phonograph Company, historically a cylinder proponent, begin marketing its own disc phonographs?What major improvement did Eldridge R. Johnson implement in the apparatus, making it more user-friendly?Which inventor founded the Deutsche Grammophon company in Germany?The visible horn characteristic of early gramophones was eventually enclosed within the wooden cabinet to create what style?