This activity helps you to see what happens when waves are added together.
Twist the Q knobs to change the length and frequency of any of the first three waves. The bottom (orange) wave is the result of adding the other three waves together.
Waves can affect each other when they move through the same space at the same time. This includes water waves, sound waves and light waves.
When the waves overlap, their heights (amplitudes) add together. The resulting wave may have quite a different shape from the waves which formed it. Certain parts may have a greater amplitude; other parts may have a smaller amplitude or none at all!
This effect is known as the principle of superposition of waves.