Interference of Two Sinusoidal Waves

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Updated Animation Specification (≈ 6 seconds)

1. Overview

  • Title: Interference of Two Sinusoidal Waves
  • Purpose: Visually demonstrate constructive and destructive interference by overlaying two traveling sinusoidal waves of equal amplitude and frequency but with a controllable phase difference.
  • Scene: Single Manim InterferenceScene class (the class should be named InterferenceScene).
  • Duration: Approximately 6 seconds (well within the 30‑second guideline).

2. Mathematical Elements

  • Primary wave equations (in one spatial dimension xx and time tt):
    y1(x,t)=Asin(kxωt)y_1(x, t) = A \sin(kx - \omega t)
    y2(x,t)=Asin(kxωt+ϕ)y_2(x, t) = A \sin(kx - \omega t + \phi)
  • Resultant wave (superposition):
    y_{\text{total}}(x, t) = 2A \cos\left(\frac{\phi}{2}\r\right) \sin\left(kx - \omega t + \frac{\phi}{2}\r\right)
  • Parameters (default values, adjustable during the animation):
    • Amplitude A=1A = 1
    • Wavenumber k=2π/λk = 2\pi / \lambda with wavelength λ=4\lambda = 4 units
    • Angular frequency ω=2πf\omega = 2\pi f with frequency f=0.5f = 0.5 Hz
    • Phase offset ϕ\phi will be animated from 00 (perfect constructive) to π\pi (perfect destructive) and back.

3. Visual Elements

Element Description Color / Style
Wave 1 Thin sinusoidal curve representing y1y_1. Light blue, opacity 0.8
Wave 2 Thin sinusoidal curve representing y2y_2. Orange, opacity 0.8
Resultant Wave Thicker curve showing ytotaly_{\text{total}}. White, line width 4, glow effect
Constructive Zones Highlighted regions where cos(ϕ/2)>0\cos(\phi/2) > 0. Semi‑transparent green overlay (opacity 0.2)
Destructive Zones Highlighted regions where cos(ϕ/2)<0\cos(\phi/2) < 0. Semi‑transparent red overlay (opacity 0.2)
Axes Horizontal axis xx from 8-8 to +8+8; vertical axis yy from 2.5-2.5 to +2.5+2.5. Gray, thin lines
Phase Indicator Small rotating arrow at a fixed xx location showing the instantaneous phase difference between the two waves. Yellow arrow, length proportional to ϕ\phi

4. Animation Sequence & Timing (compressed to ~6 s)

Time (s) Action
0.0‑0.5 Fade‑in axes and static background.
0.5‑1.0 Draw Wave 1 and Wave 2 simultaneously (Create).
1.0‑1.5 Introduce Resultant Wave (Write).
1.5‑3.0 Animate the phase offset ϕ\phi smoothly from 00 to π\pi. Component waves shift, resultant amplitude modulates, overlay transitions from green to red, and the phase‑indicator arrow rotates from 0° to 180°.
3.0‑3.2 Hold at ϕ=π\phi = \pi to emphasize the destructive pattern.
3.2‑4.5 Animate ϕ\phi back from π\pi to 00, reversing the interference pattern and restoring constructive zones.
4.5‑5.0 Brief pause with all three waves static at ϕ=0\phi = 0.
5.0‑5.5 Fade‑out all objects simultaneously, ending the scene.
5.5‑6.0 Optional short buffer (black screen) to reach the target duration.

5. Camera & Perspective

  • Camera Position: Orthographic, centered on the origin, showing the full xx-range [8,8][-8, 8].
  • Zoom: Fixed; no zooming or panning needed.
  • Perspective: Straight‑on 2‑D view; no rotation.

6. Transitions & Easing

  • Phase‑offset animation uses smooth (cubic‑ease‑in‑out) interpolation.
  • Fade‑ins and fade‑outs use a linear opacity transition over 0.5 s (adjusted to fit the compressed timeline).
  • Overlay color changes follow the sign of cos(ϕ/2)\cos(\phi/2) and transition continuously with the phase animation.

7. Additional Details

  • No Text Labels: All information is conveyed visually.
  • Background: Dark navy to make the white resultant wave and colored overlays stand out.
  • Lighting: Minimal; a subtle ambient glow on the resultant wave helps it pop.
  • Duration Compliance: Total runtime ≈ 6 seconds, satisfying the ≤ 30 second constraint.

Created By

Naw FelNaw Fel

Description

The scene draws two traveling sine waves of equal amplitude and frequency, then adds their superposition as a bold white curve. A phase offset smoothly changes from zero to half a cycle and back, turning constructive interference green and destructive interference red, while a yellow arrow indicates the instantaneous phase difference. The animation highlights how the combined amplitude varies with phase.

Created At

Feb 21, 2026, 11:20 PM

Duration

0:06

Tags

wave-interferencephysics

Status

Completed
AI Model
GPT-OSS-120b

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