Recent content by thalassa

Respectfully, not at all. Why can't I choose to measure the amplitude of a sound wave in cm rather than rather than pressure units? The answer is that I can, and the superposition principle is framed in terms of displacements, not pressures. There is no superposition principle for pressure, so...

The following video, I think, is evidence that supports my contention that there is, in fact, destructive interference at the midpoint, not constructive interference: http://video.mit.edu/watch/sound-wave-interference-8396/

Coherent, in-phase sources is standards physics terminology. For sound speakers, it means that the diaphragms oscillate with the same frequency and those oscillations are temporally in phase.

My point is that the answer is not simple. I agree that "maxima" will arrive at the midpoint at the same time, but suppose that the wave amplitude is 5 cm. In this case, when two maxima arrive simultaneously, one corresponds to a 5 cm displacement in one direction, while the other corresponds to...

The superposition principle, on which wave interference is based, makes a definitive statement about the net displacement of the medium when two or more waves are present. Namely--The net displacement of the medium at a particular point and time is the sum of the displacements of the individual...

Yes, the sources are in phase. That is, the diaphragms of each speaker move in a synchronized way, so that when the diaphragm of one speaker is moving outward, then so is that of the other speaker, etc. The times required to travel to the midpoint will be the same, as you state. However, upon...

Yes, the sources are in phase. Is that a vote for constructive or destructive interference at the midpoint? According to the superposition principle, there will be no displacement at the midpoint.

Homework Statement Two sound sources are coherent and in phase. Is there constructive or destructive interference at the midpoint between the speakers? Homework Equations Generally, there is constructive interference whenever the path-length difference is an integer times the wavelength...