Superposition of Waves

The PRINCIPLE OF SUPERPOSITION OF WAVES states that, when two or more waves travelling through a medium pass through a common point at the same time, each wave produces its own displacement at that point exactly as if none of the other waves were present, and the resultant (actual, observed) displacement at that point is simply the VECTOR SUM of the individual displacements each wave would have produced alone. There is no change whatsoever in the shape or nature of either individual wave because of this superposition -- once they separate again, each continues exactly as it would have on its own. This principle applies to every kind of wave: sound waves, light waves, waves on a string, and so on; when it is applied specifically to sound (or, more generally, any wave phenomenon), this combining of two or more waves is also called INTERFERENCE. …