Question
Standing wave patterns consist of nodes and antinodes formed by repeated interference between two waves of the same frequency traveling in opposite directions. What are nodes and antinodes and how are they produced?
Final Answer
Antinodes are the result of constructive interference between the two waves, whereas nodes are the result of destructive interference.
Solution video
OpenStax College Physics for AP® Courses, Chapter 16, Problem 30 (Test Prep for AP® Courses)
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Video Transcript
This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. A standing wave is a pattern of nodes and antinodes so if two people are holding a string between them, they could move it in just the right frequencies such that this pattern would emerge where you have this position of the string moving with large amplitude— this would be an antinode— and this position midway between the two people if they are moving at this particular frequency such that this pattern occurs this position in the middle would be a node and it would not move at all and there would be another antinode here and this standing wave occurs with very specific circumstances where their frequency of oscillation equals one of the resonant frequencies of this string and in that case, we have the wave coming from this person meeting the wave that's being reflected from this person and they are meeting in such a way that there is constructive interference at the antinodes and destructive interference at the nodes and this is why you have this pattern occurring. So antinodes are the result of constructive interference and nodes result from destructive interference.