Waves

Cards (9)

  • Constructive interferance: when two pulses of a wave meet, they cancel each other out
  • Destructive interferance: pulses partially cancel each other out and move past one another
  • Total destructive interferance: pulses totally cancel out
  • To produce a stationary wave
    • superposition of two progressive waves travelling in opposite directions
    • with the same frequency/wavelength
    • and similar amplitude
    • unlike progressive waves no energy is transferred its possible to have both stationary transverse and longitudinal waves
  • When 2 progressive waves overlap they create a larger stationary wave through constructive interferance
  • As the two progressive waves move through one another they combine to form a single stationary wave
  • When 2 progressive waves line uo so one peak of a wave is in line with the trough of another they destructively interfere
  • Nodes: points of no displacement, constantly remain stationary, total destructive interferance always occuring
  • Anti nodes: points of maximum displacement, where amplitude reaches a max, constructive interferance is occuring here