Transverse Standing Waves

If we wiggle the end of a string at the right frequency, the waves along the string reinforce the waves being reflected and a large-amplitude standing wave is produced.

This is another example of resonance.

For standing waves on a string, the ends are fixed so those are both nodes. To get standing waves, we must fit a whole number of "loops" between those ends. This means

Length = (whole number) x (half wavelength)

Superposition

Longitudinal Standing Waves

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(c) 2002, Doug Davis; all rights reserved