Standing Waves
A stationary wave pattern formed by the superposition of two identical waves traveling in opposite directions along the same medium.
Governing formula
y(x,t) = [2 A sin(k x)] cos(ω t)
SI unit
m
In depth
Standing waves do not propagate net energy along the medium. They feature fixed spatial positions of zero motion (nodes) and maximum motion (antinodes).
Examples in the real world
Vibrating violin strings or standing acoustic waves in musical organ pipes.