Physic Labs

Oscillations and waves

3D wavefronts: circular waves, interference, standing waves, and a quantum field

Visually see the difference between spreading circular waves, two-source interference, plane waves, and standing waves — then connect it to the modern-physics idea that a field is a collection of oscillators. Measure frequency and wavelength for a travelling wave and check v=fλv = fλ.

High school

Equipment

  • 3D wavefront with adjustable amplitude, wavelength, frequency
  • 2D scalar field with mass m and λφ⁴ interaction

Procedure

  1. Compare the four wave types

    Cycle through circular waves, two-source interference, plane waves, and standing waves. Notice that standing waves have fixed nodes that never move, unlike the other three. Compare the observed quantities with v=fλv = fλ.

  2. Create and collide 'particles' in the quantum field

    Switch to the Quantum Field section, click 'Create a particle' a few times, then 'Collide two particles'. Increase λ and watch the particles scatter off each other on contact, instead of passing through each other when λ = 0. Compare the observed quantities with E=hfE = hf.

  3. Check the wavelength–frequency relation

    Select the plane wave, vary frequency and then wavelength, and observe the spacing between wavefronts. Read the propagation speed and check v = fλ; at fixed v, increasing f reduces λ. Compare the displayed values with v=fλv = fλ.

Simulation

Experiment history

Wave theory developed across many subjects, from water ripples and sound to light, electromagnetic fields, and quantum matter. Patterns of interference, reflection, and resonance show how waves superpose to create regions of reinforcement or cancellation. On a string, oppositely traveling waves can form a standing pattern with fixed nodes and antinodes; two point sources instead create interference fringes across space. For a harmonic wave, v = fλ relates propagation speed, frequency, and wavelength, while superposition explains how oscillations can reinforce or cancel. This lab places classical wave pictures beside a lattice scalar field, whose values are advanced on a grid using a discrete equation of motion with λφ⁴ interaction. A quantum field is not simply another kind of mechanical wave: the numerical model illustrates how interaction changes the dynamics and produces scattering within this particular approximation.

Related physicists

James Clerk Maxwell

Related library topics

Standing wavesInterference of mechanical wavesQuantization of the scalar field