Wave Interactions and Interference

Flashcards covering wave interference, media boundaries, and wave behavior.

What happens when waves meet?

When waves meet, a new wave is generated.

What is destructive interference?

Two or more waves that are out of phase combine to form a wave with an amplitude less than at least one of the initial waves.

What is constructive interference?

Two or more waves combine to form a wave with an amplitude greater than the amplitudes of the individual waves.

What is the Principle of Superposition?

When two waves meet, the resulting displacement of the medium at any location is the algebraic sum of the displacements of the individual waves at that same location.

What is a media boundary?

The location where two media meet.

What are free-end reflections?

One end of a medium is not attached (free to move). If a wave travels from a more dense medium into a less dense medium, the wave will be reflected in the same orientation and with the same amplitude.

What are fixed-end reflections?

A medium is fixed at either one or both ends. When a pulse in one medium meets a boundary with a denser medium, the reflected pulse is inverted.

What happens to a wave's amplitude at media boundaries?

When a wave encounters a media boundary that is not strictly a free-end or a fixed-end boundary, the wave splits into two: one wave is reflected and the other is transmitted, and the sum of the two amplitudes must equal the amplitude of the original wave.