[Physics] Inconsistency in definition of antinodes

waves

Definition of antinode according to google: the position of maximum displacement in a standing wave system

And displacement is a vector, so therefore, the crests would be the maximum while the troughs are the minimums.

From this, we can draw the conclusion that crests are antinodes while troughs can't be, as they're negative values.
However, the following graph shows otherwise:

Diagram of a standing wave with antinodes labelled

Something seems to be wrong here. If both crests and troughs are antinodes, then shouldn't the definition for antinodes be 'the position of maximum DISTANCE', where minimums and maximums have the same magnitudes?

Best Answer

There is nothing wrong with the definition in terms of displacement because half a period later the graph looks like this.

enter image description here

So perhaps it would be better to have it as

  • the position where maximum displacement occurs in a standing wave system

You could also use the terms "maximum amplitude" or "maximum magnitude of the displacement".

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