standing wave

views updated

standing wave A wave in which the surface of the water oscillates vertically between fixed points (‘nodes’), without any forward progression, the crest at one moment becoming the trough at the next. The points of maximum vertical rise and fall are called ‘antinodes’. At the nodes the water particles show no vertical motion but exhibit the maximum horizontal motion. Standing waves may be caused by the meeting of two similar wave groups travelling in opposing directions. See seiche.

More From encyclopedia.com