Standing Waves

10 cm microwaves are used for the demonstration of travelling and standing waves, reflection, interference, refraction, diffraction, absorption, polarization, tunneling, and waveguides.

What it shows:

The following is a sequence of experiments that can...

What it shows:

In explaining the electron orbits in the Bohr atom, de Broglie's principle of particle wave duality allows you to treat the electrons as waves of wavelength nλ = 2πr where r is the radius of the orbit. Then the only orbits allowed are those...

White noise from hot turbulent air turns glass tubes into awesome organ pipes.

Standing sound waves in a glass pipe are made evident by the fountains of kerosene inside the pipe.

What it shows:

The air inside a very large glass pipe (partially filled with a fluid) is acoustically excited into a standing wave. Once resonating, the...

An aluminum rod, supported in the middle, rings for a long time in its longitudinal mode.

What it shows:

Longitudinal standing waves in solids.

How it works:

A metal rod is not unlike an organ pipe with both ends open. Holding it exactly in the middle will...

A 1.5m length of string driven at one end and fixed at the other shows standing waves for various driving frequencies.

What it shows

The fundamental is the most dramatically visible state (usually around 15Hz). It's possible to show up to 8 nodes clearly-...

Obtain as many harmonics as your arm can handle.

What it shows:

Generation of a standing wave by reflection from a fixed end.

How it works:

A two person demonstration using a 2m (2cm diameter) steel spring. ¹ One party acts as the fixed end, standing...

Interference patterns of water waves generated by different sources at adjustable frequency.

What It Shows

Various wave phenomena demonstrated with water waves: circular waves from point sources, plane waves from an array of point sources, change of...

Rods attached to metal spine; transverse wave generator shows the reflection of waves free, fixed, terminated and transition boundaries.

What it shows

Mechanical demonstration of transverse standing or traveling waves using the Shive wave machine.

How it

What it shows:

A large square metal plate, supported and harmonically driven at its center, is made to vibrate in any one of its numerous normal modes of vibration. As with the regular Chladni Plates, the two-dimensional standing wave patterns are made...