Waves are everywhere — from the light reaching your eyes to the sound entering your ears, from ocean swells to the quantum wavefunctions that govern atoms. Understanding waves means understanding how energy propagates through space and time, how patterns of constructive and destructive interference create the rich phenomena we observe.
These simulations explore the fundamental physics of waves and optics. Watch two waves interfere to create patterns of reinforcement and cancellation. Observe how light bends when it enters glass. Hear the harmonics that give musical instruments their distinctive timbre. Explore the vast electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays.