When two waves arrive at identical location and combine to form a single wave, this is called

When two waves arrive at identical location and combine to form a single wave, this is called

• A. Interference
• B. Refraction
• C. Diffraction
• D. Reflection

Answer: (A)

When two waves arrive at the same location and combine, the phenomenon is interference produced by superposition. The displacements from the two waves add together to form a single resulting wave in that region. If the waves are in phase, their crests and troughs align to give a larger amplitude—constructive interference. If they are out of phase, they can cancel each other out partially or completely—destructive interference. The other terms describe different behaviors: refraction is the bending of a wave as it changes speed at a boundary, diffraction is the bending and spreading around obstacles or openings, and reflection is the bouncing of a wave off a boundary.

When two waves arrive at the same location and combine, the phenomenon is interference produced by superposition. The displacements from the two waves add together to form a single resulting wave in that region. If the waves are in phase, their crests and troughs align to give a larger amplitude—constructive interference. If they are out of phase, they can cancel each other out partially or completely—destructive interference. The other terms describe different behaviors: refraction is the bending of a wave as it changes speed at a boundary, diffraction is the bending and spreading around obstacles or openings, and reflection is the bouncing of a wave off a boundary.