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

3436 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

An electron is moving with speed 2x10^5ms-1 through a magnetic field of strength 0.5T. If the electrons velocity is perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field, what is the magnitude of the force felt by the electron?


What are the similarities and differences between an elastic and an inelastic collision?


What is the photoelectric effect?


Explain why a jet fighter pilot experiences "weightlessness" when at the top of a loop-the-loop manoeuvre.


We're here to help

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

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences