General

Physics 1 12
Earth Science – Grade 12
Quarter 2 – Module 9: Superposition of Waves
First Edition, 2020

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 General
Biology 1 12
Quarter 2
Self-Learning Module 9

Superposition of Waves
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the General Physics 1 Self-Learning Module 9 on Superposition of

Waves

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the General Physics 1 Self-Learning Module 9 on Superposition of

Waves

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. describe qualitatively and quantitatively superposition of waves;
2. apply a condition for standing waves on strings; and
3. cite the importance of the superposition of waves in online learning.

PRETEST

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. Two transverse waves overlap. Crests overlap with crests. Troughs overlap
with troughs. What phase of the wave is observed?
A. In-phase
B. Anaphase
C. Out-of-phase
D. Telophase
2. If two overlapping waves are out-of-phase, the resultant wave will have
compared to the two waves.
A. smaller amplitude
B. smaller frequency
C. smaller wavelength
D. smaller wave speed Figure 1
3. What type of interference is shown in the
diagram?
A. Constructive interference
B. Destructive interference
C. Proactive interference
D. Retroactive interference
4. How many nodes do the standing wave Figure 2
shown in the diagram have?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
5. Which of the following devices we are using in our online class can cancel
unwanted noise?
A. cellphone
B. headphone
C. personal computer
D. television
 RECAP
Fill the boxes with the right letters to form the correct answer. Given on the right are
the clues for each number.

➢ A system when displaced from its equilibrium

1. position experiences a restoring force is called
oscillator.
➢ A wave form in which the amplitude is always
2. proportional to sine of its displacement angle
at every point of time.

3. ➢ This wave produced when particles vibrate in

a medium in which the wave propagates.

➢ Are waves that vibrate parallel to the direction

4.
of motion of the wave.

➢ Are waves that vibrate perpendicular to the

5. direction of motion of the wave.

LESSON
Figure 3: A surfer surfing into the beach
Did you experience surfing on the
beach? How did you feel? Have you ever
seen two big waves met with each other?
What happened after they met?

Two particles cannot be in the same

place at the same time. Matter after all
takes up space. This is not true for waves.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co The properties that are the characteristics
mmons/thumb/8/8c/Teahupoo1.jpg/1200p of wave behavior are the result of two or
x-Teahupoo1.jpg more waves existing in the same area at the
same time.

Superposition of Waves
Each wave affects the medium independently. As a result, we can analyze the
effects of these waves using the principle of superposition.
 The principle of superposition states that “the displacement of a medium
caused by two or more waves is the algebraic sum of the displacements caused
by the individual waves”. In equation form: Y = Y1 + Y2. Where Y is the displacement
of the wave.
Figure 4: Two crests met
The result of the superposition of two or more
waves is called interference.

Interference can either be constructive or

destructive.

Constructive interference is when two or

more waves interfere to produce a resultant
displacement greater than the displacement that is
caused by either wave.

Figure 4 shows the constructive interference of

two equal pulses.

When two pulses meet, a larger pulse is formed. The amplitude of the larger
pulse is the algebraic sum of the amplitudes of the two pulses.

After the two pulses have passed through each other, they regain their original
shape and size. The pulses are not changed by their interaction.

Figure 5: A crest and a On the other hand, destructive interference

trough met is when the resultant displacement is smaller than the
displacement that would be caused by one wave. Figure
5 shows the destructive interference of two pulses with
two equal but opposite amplitudes. As the two pulses
overlap, the displacement of the medium at each point
in the overlap is reduced.

When the pulses are at the same location, the

displacement is zero. The pulses keep moving and
resume their original form. An important characteristic
of waves is the ability to pass through one another
unchanged.

When two rocks are thrown into a pond simultaneously, the two sets of
circular waves interfere with one another. In some areas of overlap, crests of one
wave repeatedly meet crests of the other (and troughs meet troughs). Constructive
interference is occurring at these points, and water continuously oscillates up and
down with greater amplitude than either wave separately. In other areas, destructive
interference occurs when the water waves do not move up and down at all over time.
This is where the crest of one wave meets the trough of the other, and vice versa. For
any two such waves, we use the term phase to describe the relative positions of their
crests. When the crests and troughs are aligned for constructive interference the two
 Figure 6: Water waves
waves are in phase. At points where destructive
interference occurs, crests of one wave repeatedly
meet troughs of the other wave, and the two
waves are said to be completely out of phase or
more precisely, out of phase by one-half
wavelength. That is the crest of one wave
occurs a half wavelength behind the crest of the
other wave. The relative phase of the water
waves in most areas is intermediate between
these two extremes, resulting in partially
destructive interference. If amplitudes of two
interfering waves are not equal, fully destructive
interference does not occur.
https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.FN Sample Problem
25huYkO7X156AtnORAjgHaDO&pid=Ap
i&P=0&w=366&h=161 Two loudspeakers placed 1.5 m apart are
connected to an audio signal generator
adjusted to a frequency of 600 Hz. When a student
Figure 7: Loudspeakers
walks at a distance of 3.0 m in front of the
loudspeakers, he hears 4 consecutive loud sounds
through a distance of 3.3 m. Calculate a.) the
wavelength of the sound waves. b.) the speed of the
sound in air.
I. Given: a = 1.5 m
D = 3.0 m
3x = 3.3 m
therefore
x = 1.1 m III. Solution:
𝑎𝑥
a. 𝜆 =
𝐷
II. Formula: 1.5 𝑚 𝑥 1.1𝑚
𝒂𝒙 𝜆 =
𝝀 = 3.0 𝑚
𝑫
𝜆 = 0.55 𝑚
v = fλ
b.) v = fλ
v = 600 Hz (0.55 m)
v = 330 m/s
Standing Waves; Resonance
If waves traveling in opposite directions have the same amplitude and
wavelength, the resultant interference pattern is called standing waves.

In figure 5, two pulses with equal but opposite amplitudes meet. You can find
one point in the medium that is completely undisturbed at all times. This is called a
node N.

At a node, the medium is never displaced. If you put your finger on the rope
at the node, you will feel no motion. A node is produced by the destructive
interference of waves.
 In figure 4, two pulses with equal amplitudes in the same direction meet.

There is one point that undergoes the greater displacement. Its maximum
amplitude is equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the two pulses. This point of
maximum displacement is called an antinode A.

Constructive interference of waves

produces antinodes. Figure 8: Standing wave

Imagine one end of a rope is

attached to a fixed point. You continue
to vibrate the other end up and down.

A traveling wave will leave your

hand, move to the other end, be
inverted and reflected, and return
toward your hand.

At your hand, the wave will be inverted and reflected again. At each reflection,
the displacement direction will change. If the original displacement was upward, it
will be down when moving back at your hand, but upward again after reflection from
your hand.

Figure 9: Standing The nodes and antinodes are stationary. The

wave frequencies wave appears to be standing still. This is called a
standing wave. If you double the frequency of
vibration, you can produce additional nodes on the
rope. It appears to vibrate in two segments. Further
increases in frequency produce even more nodes.

The frequencies at which standing waves are

produced are the natural frequencies or resonant
frequencies of the cord, and the different standing wave
patterns are “resonant modes of vibration”.

Consider a string stretched between two supports

that are plucked like a guitar or violin string. Waves of
a great variety of frequencies will travel in both
directions along the string, will be reflected at the ends,
and will travel back in the opposite direction. Most of
these waves interfere with each other and quickly die. However, those waves that
correspond to the resonant frequencies of the string will persist.
 ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Wave Patterns
I. Materials: Ripple tank or shallow pan, water, ruler, grease pencil or
marker, metronome or sound recording, small waterproof objects, towel
II. Procedure:
1. Measure the length of the tank with a Figure 10: Ripple tank
ruler. Divide the length of the tank by
for. Using a marker, place two “X” marks
on the bottom of the tank along a
centerline at one-quarter and three-
quarters of the way across the tank.
2. Fill the pan/tank with water.
3. Tap the water at the X’s to create waves in the ripple tank. Observe
the pattern on top of the water.
III. Guide Questions:
1. Draw the diagram of the water wave when you tap at top of the X’s
point.
2. Describe the pattern formed.
3. What kind of interference is formed?
4. Differentiate constructive and destructive interference.

Activity 2: Til I Met You

Draw the pattern of the wave when pulses overlap/met and after they have overlap.

Table 1: Meeting of waves

Before Overlapping After
Two crests
CCV
Two troughs
CCV
Large crest and small trough

Equal crest and trough

 Activity 3: Standing Wave
Materials: Rope 2 m or longer long
Answer the following Questions on a Standing wave
1. Tie one of the rope into a barrier. Create a wave on the end by moving the
end of the rope up and down once. When the wave reflects, what will
happen to it? Draw the reflected wave below.

2. Explain how standing waveforms.

3. How do you define a standing wave?
4. A picture of a standing wave is shown below. Label the nodes and
antinodes.

5. What is the difference between node and antinode?

WRAP-UP

Find the answer in each number in the

sun’s rays on the right.

1. It is a vibration of a system in which

some particular points remain fixed
while others between them vibrate
with maximum amplitude.
2. When two waves interfere with each
other, the resultant displacement is
smaller than the displacement that
would be caused by one wave.
3. Two waves are said to be _________ when their crest and troughs line up.
4. When two waves interfere with each other, the resultant displacement is
greater than the displacement that would be caused by one wave.
5. When the crest of one wave met trough the other wave, the two waves are
said to be __________.
 VALUING
During our online learning process, Figure 11: Using headphones
most of you are using headphones to hear
our video lessons and also in listening to
music while answering your digitized
worksheets. Did you know that almost every
pair of headphones can protect us from
unwanted noise? Based on the concept of
the superposition principle, how do
headphones cancel noise?

POSTTEST

Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer.

1. Two transverse waves overlap. Crests overlap with troughs. Troughs overlap
with crests. The waves are.
A. Anaphase
B. In-phase
C. Out-of-phase
D. Telophase
2. If two overlapping waves are in-phase, the resultant wave will have compared
to the two waves.
A. Greater amplitude
B. Greater frequency
C. Greater wavelength
D. Greater wave speed
3. How do waves superimpose to one another?
A. By adding their wavelengths
B. By adding their frequencies
C. By adding their amplitudes
D. By adding their speeds
4. How many nodes do the standing wave
shown in the diagram have?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
5. Which behavior of wave do headphones use in noise-canceling?
A. Diffraction
B. Refraction
C. Destructive interference
D. Constructive interference
 KEY TO CORRECTION

Pretest Posttest Valuing

1.A 1.C Headphones make their own sound wave!
2.A 2.A The moment an ambient sound (noise
3.A 3.C from the surroundings) hits this type of
4.B 4.D noise-cancelling headphones, the
5.B 5.C headphones create their own sound wave
Recap that is very similar to the ambient sound
1.harmonic waves. This means that these two
2.sinusoidal oppositely oriented waves cause
3.mechanical destructive interference and cancel each
4.longitudinal other out completely. As a result, the
listener can clearly hear the sound being
5.transverse played on the headphones.

Activity 1 Wrap-Up Activity 3

1. 1. Antinode 1.
2. Destructive
3. In phase
4. Constructive
5. Out of phase 2. Standing wave forms
when the wave is
2. circular and overlapping travelling in opposite
3. constructive and Activity 2
directions but have the
destructive same amplitude and
4. Constructive wavelength.
interference – when two or 3.Standing waves are
more waves interfere to waves having nodes and
produce a resultant
antinodes stationary. And
displacememnt greater this wave appear to be
than the displacement standing still.
caused by either wave.
Destructive interference –
when the resultant
displacement is smaller
than the displacement
caused by one wave. 4.
5. Node – a point in a
medium that is
completely undisturbed
Antinode – the maximum
displacement in a
standing wave
 References
Gil Nonato C. Santos. 2017. General Physics 1. Manila: REX Book Store Inc

Jerry D. Wilson and Anthony J. Buffa. 2003. PHYSICS 4 th Edition. Philippines:

Pearson Education South Asia PTE. LTD

John D. Cutnell and Kenneth W. Johnson. 2004. Physics 6th Edition. Philippines:
Golden Gate Printers

Giancoli, Douglas. PHYSICS Principles with Applications Sixth Edition. PDF file.
September 2, 2020. www.Giancoli.Physics(6th).pdf

Veerendra. “Analysing Interference of Waves.” A Plus Topper, March 17, 2017.

https://www.aplustopper.com/analysing-interference-waves/.

“Exploring Our Fluid Earth.” Activity: Wave Patterns in a Ripple Tank |

manoa.hawaii.edu/ExploringOurFluidEarth. Accessed September 21, 2020.
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/physical/coastal-
interactions/wave-coast-interactions/activity-wave-patterns-ripple-tank.

Fong, Albert. “Interference of Waves.” Mr. Fong's Class Website, February 9, 2020.
https://fongphysics.com/2020/02/09/interference-of-waves/.

Parker, Jameson. “Standing Wave Activity.” BetterLesson. BetterLesson, May 2,

2016. https://betterlesson.com/lesson/resource/3239569/standing-wave-
activity.

“Noise-Canceling Headphones: Do They Cancel Out All Ambient Noise?” Science

ABC, January 27, 2017. https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/how-do-
noise-canceling-headphones-work.html.