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Question "What is standing wave?" has already been asked. Intuitively we all know what it is, but how would we define such a wave in the most general way: for arbitrary geometry, dispersion, dimensions, nature, etc.?

My suggestion: standing wave is a wave that does not carry energy flux.

Roger V.
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    In a similar manner I guess something could be said about its time invariance. – Mauricio Dec 17 '21 at 09:43
  • my suggestion: it is a product ot a spacial part and a periodic function of time, possibly with some condition on the spacial part – Physor Dec 17 '21 at 10:21
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    My suggestion: standing wave is a wave that does not carry energy flux - Yes, or more formally if you take any area element the average energy flux through that element is zero. Isn't this a standard wave to define a standing wave? – John Rennie Dec 17 '21 at 10:42
  • @JohnRennie I would think so, but this is not explicitly spelled in textbooks - not in the basic textbooks at least - see, e.g., this thread – Roger V. Dec 17 '21 at 11:28

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