Wave Reflection at Fixed and Free Boundaries

Wave reflection happens when a wave reaches a boundary between two media and bounces back. A familiar example is an echo, where sound waves in air reflect from a cliff. Sound waves are longitudinal waves, while a pulse on a string is a transverse wave.

A pulse on a string tied to a wall reflects ...

When a propagating wave encounters the boundary of any medium, it gets reflected. The wave from the source, propagating in air, that hits the boundary of the medium is called the incident wave. The outgoing wave is called the reflected wave.

Now, consider propagation of waves through a stretched string, tied at one end to a hook on the wa...