Superposition of waves
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Applet by Fu-Kwun Hwang
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Instructions on how to use the animation below:
When two or more wave moving through the same region of space, the waves will superimpose and produce a combined wave. Waves maintain their integrity upon overlapping (without themselves being permanently changed).
Blue colored wave + green colored wave = red colored wave. The blue wave is moving toward right, with a fixed frequency f.
Press the -/+ button to change the direction of the green wave.
Two waves with the same frequency and amplitude but opposite directions yields a standing wave. What about two waves with different amplitudes?
Text Field input:
Wavelength: enter wavelength λ for blue/yellow waves.
Frequency: enter frequency f for blue/yellow waves.
We can calculate the wave speed as v = λf
Change parameters with the mouse.
Change phase between two waves:
Move mouse near the center line, click mouse button and drag it left or right
Change amplitude for each wave:
Move mouse near the highest point of wave, click mouse button and drag it up and down.
Suspend the animation: click the mouse button. If you left-click, the animation will resume when you release the button. If you right-click, the animation will resume when you right-click again.
Click mouse button twice quickly to change the time scale:
Left mouse button: slow down by a factor of 1.5
Right mouse button: faster by a factor of 1.5
Right mouse button: faster by a factor of 1.5