Wave Systems

Wave systems (AS91523) is a 4-credit external built entirely on one idea: superposition — when two waves occupy the same space, their displacements simply add. Everything in the standard is superposition wearing a different outfit:

• Standing waves — a wave adds to its own reflection (strings and pipes, harmonics, resonance).
• Beats — two waves of nearly equal frequency add, and the loudness throbs.
• Interference — waves from two or many slits add, painting bright and dark fringes.
• The Doppler effect — a moving source squeezes its own wavefronts (stationary observer only at Level 3).

Every relationship you need — $d\sin\theta = n\lambda$, $n\lambda = \dfrac{dx}{L}$, and $f' = f\dfrac{v_w}{v_w \pm v_s}$ — is on the exam resource sheet. The marks are for choosing correctly and explaining the physics.