BEATS (YR13)

• At the top of the diagram, you see the waveforms created by two sources with similar, but slightly different frequencies. Notice how they are sometimes in phase, and sometimes out of phase.

• The blue waveform at the bottom of the diagram, shows the superposition of the two.

• The antinodal forms that result are called 'beats'. The frequency of the beats is equal to the absolute difference between the frequencies of the two sources.

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Check out this link to Hyperphysics website