Physics: Waves WCLN.ca Name: Inquiry Question Sometimes when you vibrate a medium at just the right frequency, the waves produced no longer seem to move. They appear stationary or "standing". How can we create these waves with a simple cord? "A standing wave pattern is a vibrational pattern created within a medium when the vibrational frequency of the source causes reflected waves from one end of the medium to interfere with incident waves from the source. This interference occurs in such a manner that specific points along the medium appear to be standing still. Because the observed wave pattern is characterized by points that appear to b standing still, the pattern is often called a standing wave pattern. Such patterns are only created within th medium at specific frequencies of vibration. These frequencies are known as harmonic frequencies, or merely harmonics. At any frequency other than a harmonic frequency, the interference of reflected and incident waves leads to a resulting disturbance of the medium that is irregular and non-repeating." The Physics Classroc EXIT O ES-SO Page 1 of 17 021-07-23