What are phase shifts?

Phase shifts are when something changes its position or timing compared to where it started.

Imagine you're on a swing. You start at the back of the arc, that’s like being in one phase. When you go forward, then backward again, you’re moving through different phases. A phase shift is like when you push off the ground just right so that instead of going all the way to the front, you stop a little earlier, it’s like your swing has moved in time compared to where it would have been without the extra push.

Think about waves at the beach. A normal wave comes in smoothly, reaches its highest point (a crest), and then goes down again. Now imagine another wave that starts later, maybe because something blocked its way for a moment. That second wave is like the first one, but it’s been shifted in time. This delay or advance is the phase shift.

Imagine two clocks, one is working perfectly, and the other has been moved ahead by 15 minutes. Even though both are telling time, they’re not quite in sync. That’s like a phase shift, it’s just a little change in timing that makes everything look or feel slightly different.