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Standing Waves

Also known as stationary waves, these store rather than transfer energy.

  1. The Equation for Velocity of Waves on a string

  2. Practical - Standing Waves on a String

  3. Standing Waves on a String

  4. Standing Waves in a Tube

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1. The Equation for Velocity of Waves on a String

Hopefully you will have seen a slinky at school and observed a wave moving along it. The speed of a wave along a string really depends on the tension in the string and also the mass per unit length. Simple.

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2. Practical - Standing Waves on a String

Waves transfer energy. They can also store energy and not go anywhere at all.

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3. Standing Waves on a String

Standing (or stationary) waves on strings are formed when a wave reflects from the fixed end of a string and then by superposition it combines to make points of maximum displacement (antinodes) and points of no-displacement (nodes).

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4. Standing Waves in a Tube

Stationary (or standing) waves can also form in a column of air which is the basis behind many musical instruments.

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