Wave Behavior

Front

Incident Wave Noun

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[in-si-dent weyv]

Back

Incident Wave

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The initial wave pulse that travels through a medium and strikes a boundary with another medium.

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Example: This diagram shows a wave traveling along a spring toward a wall. This initial wave, before it hits the boundary, is the incident wave.

Front

Transmitted Wave Noun

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[trans-mit-ed weyv]

Back

Transmitted Wave

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The portion of a wave pulse that continues to travel into a new medium after striking a boundary.

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Example: A light wave passes from air into a glass of water, showing how the wave is transmitted, or continues to travel, through the new material.

Front

Reflected Wave Noun

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[ri-flek-ted weyv]

Back

Reflected Wave

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The wave pulse that bounces backward into the original medium after striking a boundary between two media.

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Example: This diagram shows a light wave from a flashlight, called the incident ray, hitting a mirror and bouncing off as a reflected wave.

Front

Principle of Superposition Noun

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[prin-suh-puhl uhv soo-per-puh-zish-uhn]

Back

Principle of Superposition

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The rule stating that the total displacement of a medium from multiple waves is the algebraic sum of individual wave displacements.

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Example: When two waves with aligned crests and troughs overlap, their amplitudes add together, creating a new wave with a larger amplitude.

Front

Interference Noun

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[in-ter-feer-uhns]

Back

Interference

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The phenomenon occurring when two or more waves superpose to form a resultant wave of a different amplitude.

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Example: When waves overlap, they interfere. Constructive interference makes a bigger wave, while destructive interference makes a smaller wave or cancels it out completely.

Front

Destructive Interference Noun

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[dih-struhk-tiv in-ter-feer-uhns]

Back

Destructive Interference

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A type of interference where waves with opposite displacements combine, resulting in a wave of lesser amplitude.

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Example: When waves from two sources overlap, their crests and troughs can cancel each other out at specific points, resulting in destructive interference.

Front

Constructive Interference Noun

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[kuhn-struhk-tiv in-ter-feer-uhns]

Back

Constructive Interference

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A type of interference where wave displacements in the same direction combine, resulting in a wave of greater amplitude.

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Example: When waves from two sources overlap, their crests can add together at specific points, creating a wave with a larger amplitude. This is constructive interference.

Front

Node Noun

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[nohd]

Back

Node

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A point along a standing wave that has minimum amplitude, remaining stationary during interference.

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Example: A node is a point along a standing wave where the wave has minimum amplitude, meaning it does not move up or down.

Front

Antinode Noun

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[an-tee-nohd]

Back

Antinode

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A point along a standing wave that has maximum amplitude, representing the largest displacement during interference.

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Example: This diagram shows a standing wave, where an antinode is the point of maximum vibration or amplitude, located between two stationary points called nodes.

Front

Standing Wave Noun

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[stan-ding weyv]

Back

Standing Wave

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A wave pattern that appears stationary, resulting from the interference of two identical waves traveling in opposite directions.

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Example: This diagram shows how two waves (red and blue) moving in opposite directions combine to create a standing wave (black), which has points that don't move (nodes) and points of maximum movement (antinodes).