Investigation 10.5: Interference of Waves in a One-Dimensional Medium

In class today, we started off by going into groups and finding answers to Investigation 10.5. We were to answer the question: How do waves, moving in opposite directions, interfere in a one-dimensional medium? As a class, we came up with:

• Two pulses pass through each other unaffected.


• Two positive or two negative pulses create a pulse in the middle of the slinky that is much larger than the two original pulses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IRZYOC7DeU

• A positive and negative pulse creates a smaller pulse in the middle of the slinky as they pass each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_bUxiDadk8&feature=related

• For two positive or two negative pulses:

The amplitude of the first wave + the amplitude of the second wave = the approximate height of the pulse created in the middle of the slinky

• For a positive and negative pulse:

The amplitude of the positive wave - the amplitude of the negative wave = the approximate height of the pulse created in the middle of the slinky

To end the class we started taking down notes. The two new terms are:

• Wave Interference - when two or more waves act simultaneously on a medium.


• Principle of Superposition - whenever two or more waves pass through each other, the resulting disturbance at a given point may be found by adding the individual displacements that each wave would have caused.