Wave superposition helps to explain interference and diffraction of waves, standing waves in strings and pipes and even the behaviour of electrons. This question puts wave superposition in the context of standing waves. All acoustic musical instruments, from bagpipes to xylophones, produce oscillations that form standing waves.
The question discussed in this Exam talkback is an example of a question in context — in this case, a guitar. Don’t worry if you know nothing about guitars. The physics tested is clear and requires no specialist knowledge that is not on the specification. One of the strengths of physics is that it can be applied to novel situations. Applying physics ideas is a very important skill, and one that is being tested in this question.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
