PHYS 1300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Fundamental Frequency, Standing Wave
Document Summary
A wave on a string is travelling to the right. Use the principle of superposition to determine the wave that results form the combination of the two waves in the following diagram. Wave interference - the overlap of two or more travelling waves. Principle fo superpositon - when two or more waves overlap in space. The total displacement of the medium is the sum of the indiviual displacements at that point. y(x,t) = y1(x,t) + y2(x,t) Constructive interference - combining two wave lengths that have similar peaks added together; positive + positive, negative + negative, and it will create larger peaks. Destructive interference - combining two wave lengths that have opposite peaks added together; positive + negative, and it will cancel out based on the differences. Standing wave: when a wave reflects from a fixed end, it returns with its amplitude inverted. yinc(x,t) = acos(kx-wt) -> yref(x,t) = -acos(kx + wt) The incoming waves and the reflected waves interfere.
