Waves

• 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