Wave Motion
This simulation uses a simplified one-dimensional sinusoidal wave model. Wave speed is calculated as frequency × wavelength. Reflection, interference, and standing waves are educational superpositions, not full material simulations.
Distances, amplitudes, frequencies, speeds, and time are shown in scaled model units. They are not measurements of a real material. In the readout, u means model unit and t means model time.
Speed shows the propagation speed of Wave 1. In Interference mode, the second wave uses different parameters.
Medium points are fixed sample positions of the medium displacement. They are not particles, molecules, fluid tracers, or objects traveling with the wave.
Interference is the sum of two intentionally different sinusoidal waves. Wave 2 uses 0.75 times the base amplitude, 0.82 times the wavelength, 1.12 times the frequency, and a phase offset of π/3. Standing wave instead uses two equal waves traveling in opposite directions.
In superposition modes, the amplitude slider controls the base amplitude of component waves. The resultant wave can become larger or smaller through addition.
Colors, line widths, point sizes, labels, and transparency are visual aids. They do not represent physical energy, material density, brightness, or safety.
y(x,t) = A sin(kx − ωt + φ)k = 2π / λ · ω = 2πf · v = fλ
Reflection uses a simplified fixed-end approximation. The reflected wave is phase-inverted so the total displacement is zero at the right boundary.