Interference
Definition
Interference occurs when two or more waves overlap and combine, resulting in either constructive interference (amplification) or destructive interference (cancellation).
Analogy
Imagine you have two friends singing different songs loudly at the same time. If their voices blend well together and create beautiful harmonies, it's constructive interference. But if their voices clash and cancel each other out, it's destructive interference.
Related terms
Diffraction: The bending or spreading out of waves around obstacles or through openings.
Superposition Principle: States that when two or more waves meet at a point, the resulting displacement is the algebraic sum of their individual displacements.
Standing Wave: A wave pattern that forms when two waves of equal frequency and amplitude traveling in opposite directions interfere with each other.
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