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The University High School Band
The History and Theory of Music

Longitudinal Standing Waves

Consider a tube filled with air. The molecules are evenly distributed in equilibrium.

Blowing into the end of the tube will push the air molecules away, causing a rarefaction, which in turn causes a compression on the other side.

The high pressure of the compression then pushes outward, causing compressions on either side of it, and creating a rarefaction where the compression was.

The new compressions push outward, causing new compressions and creating new rarefactions. The wave moves through the tube and system continues to oscillate at a steady frequency.

Graphing the location of any molecule across time will result in a standing wave.