Superposition: what happens while two waves overlap, and what is left afterwards

Year 11 Physics · one string throughout: length L = 2.00 m, wave speed v = 8.00 m/s, mass per metre μ = 10 g/m, tension T = 0.64 N · the resultant is the algebraic sum of the components at every point, recomputed every frame

Pulse 1 amplitude +4.0 cm

Pulse 2 amplitude −4.0 cm

Pulse 1 width 0.15 m

Pulse 2 width 0.15 m

Wave 1 amplitude 3.0 cm

Wave 1 frequency 4.00 Hz

Wave 1 phase 0°

Wave 2 amplitude 3.0 cm

Wave 2 frequency 4.00 Hz

Wave 2 phase 0°

Driving frequency 2.00 Hz

Probe position 1.000 m

The string

t = 0.0000 s two pulses approaching

pulse 1, going right pulse 2, going left resultant, what the string actually does

total energy17.112 mJ

kinetic share50.0 %

potential share50.0 %

peak displacement4.00 cm

Two pulses of equal size and opposite sign are heading toward each other. Press Play and watch what the string does at the instant they meet, or press Freeze at overlap to stop exactly there.

Where the energy is, over the whole run

kinetic and potential shares against time

time 0.0000 s

Ready. Pulses mode: a +4.0 cm pulse travelling right and a −4.0 cm pulse travelling left, both 0.15 m wide, on a 2.00 m string. Nothing is moving yet.