Standing wave characteristicsClick here for student and other user informationClick here for teacher information

Observe the standing waves in the picture formed in two cases.

There are alternating nodes and antinodes both when one end is free and when it is fixed.
In the area between two neighbouring nodes, the phases of the oscillating points of the rope are constant related to one another in every moment. So the phase of the oscillation does not travel along the rope, the wave behaves like a standing wave.
Such an area having a constant phase is followed by a reversed one, so the length (wavelength) of the spatial repetition of the standing wave is identical with the wavelength of the propagating wave which creates it. Their frequencies are the same as well, so f= c / is a valid formula, where “c” is the velocity of the propagating wave.

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