standing wave

noun

Physics.

1. a wave in a medium in which each point on the axis of the wave has an associated constant amplitude ranging from zero at the nodes to a maximum at the antinodes.

standing wave

noun

1. Also called: stationary wave. physics the periodic disturbance in a medium resulting from the combination of two waves of equal frequency and intensity travelling in opposite directions. There are generally two kinds of displacement, and the maximum value of the amplitude of one of these occurs at the same points as the minimum value of the amplitude of the other. Thus in the case of electromagnetic radiation the amplitude of the oscillations of the electric field has its greatest value at the points at which the magnetic oscillation is zero, and vice versa Compare node antinode

standing wave

1. A wave that oscillates in place, without transmitting energy along its extent. Standing waves tend to have stable points, called nodes, where there is no oscillation. Examples of standing waves include the vibration of a violin string and electron orbitals in an atom.

2. Also called stationary wave

3. See also harmonic oscillator

Word History and Origins

Origin of standing wave¹

First recorded in 1905–10