PHASE

PHASE refers to the position of a wave relative to a reference point, indicating how its peaks and troughs align with other waves. Think of two waves as signals that can either rise and fall together (in phase) or offset from each other (out of phase). When in phase, their crests and troughs match up, reinforcing each other. When out of phase, they can cancel each other out or weaken the overall signal. Understanding phase is essential in fields like physics and engineering, as it influences how waves interact, combine, or cancel, affecting technologies such as sound, radio, and signal processing.