What happens when two waves of equal strength collide?

Question

Assuming they are traveling at equal speed/strength... Do they cancel each other out or do they crash through each other, etc?

Answer 1

When two waves overlap they interfere with each other and can cause an interference pattern.
Interference can either be constructive or destructive. It might make the wave seem stronger at a given point, or it could make it weaker...even canceling it out all together, depending on how far out of phase one wave is with the other.

The two waves continue on, but at the points of overlap, they interfere with each other.

http://dev.physicslab.org/Document.aspx?doctype=3&filename=PhysicalOptics_InterferenceDiffraction.xml

Answer 2

By waves I take it that you mean fronts...? I really doubt that you would have two fronts colliding. I always pictured a cold front or a cool mass of air moving into a warm air mass, and forcing it to retreat. However along the frontal boundary it would force the warm air up and over the advancing colder air mass and the rise would create an unstable environment and may lead to thunderstorm/rain shower development. Warm air would rise, cool and form into clouds as the cooler air aloft would 'squeeze' or condensate the excessive moisture within the warm air. (warm air is able to hold more moisture than cooler air)
At times, more so in the early spring, cold air masses may merge (or overtake...catch up) with a warm front. This is called an occluded front. You would notice dryer and cooler air even though the wind direction would not change until maybe a few hours after it came through.

Answer 3

actually it depends not only on strength but on the phase difference between the tow waves, so if they are in phase then the result is an amplified wave, while if they are totally in opposite (180 degrees off) then the result will be a dampened wave.