State the principle of superposition of waves and illustrate it schematically.

Whenever two or more waves travelling through the same medium at the same time pass through each other, the net displacement of the medium at any point in space-time is simply given by the sum of the individual wave displacements.An easy way to illustrate this schematically would be by sketching both constructive and destructive cases using sine and cosine waves. More complicated waveforms could them be later also considered (square, triangular, etc...).

PV
Answered by Pedro V. Physics tutor

3843 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between a scalar and a vector quantity?


What is the general equation for the alpha-decay of a nucleus X, with nucleon number A and proton number Z, into nucleon Y??


Using Newton's law of gravitation, derive a suitable formula for the escape velocity of an object at Earth's surface.


What are vectors?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning