Wave Superposition

What happens when two sine waves combine?  Explore the property of wave superposition:

-- What is the result of changing the amplitude of one or both of the waves?
-- What happens when one of the frequencies is very low or very high?
-- Why is the phase shift term included in the function?
-- How does the superposed wave look when the frequencies are nearly equal?
-- Can you make the two waves cancel out into a flat line?

[Note: Right-click on slider dots to "animate" that variable - try it with frequency. Right-click again to deselect animation.]

kbennion, Created with GeoGebra