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Constructive Oar Destructive Interference?

Alex Bauernschub

Type: Contrived

"Constructive Oar Destructive Interference?"

 

Droplets of water drip off the oars in this photograph and create waves in the lake. When these waves come together, they interfere with each other. A property called constructive interference occurs when the waves add together to make a larger wave, but only if both waves are displaced upward or downward. However, destructive interference occurs if the if the waves come together in opposite orientation. In destructive interference, the waves cancel out, resulting in no waves as long as the magnitude of the two waves are equal.

 

The distance between the two droplets affects the amount of interference that occurs. When the oars are closer together, the constructive and destructive patterns are wider apart because less interference is occurring. When the oars are further apart, more interference occurs.

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Uploaded on April 22, 2009
Taken on April 21, 2009