gen-explain-standing-waves-on-a-string-as-you-would-to-a-capable-ccb0

Explain standing waves on a string as you would to a capable student, in 3-4 sentences.

When you vibrate a string fixed at both ends, waves travel down the string and reflect back, creating two waves moving in opposite directions. At certain special frequencies, these opposing waves interfere to produce a **standing wave**—a pattern that appears to stand still rather than travel. This happens because the wavelength fits perfectly into the string length (with whole number multiples of half-wavelengths), creating points called **nodes** where the string doesn't move at all, and **antinodes** where it oscillates with maximum amplitude. Only these specific resonant frequencies will produce stable standing wave patterns.