Look at the title of this thread. Why slosh?

Transmission lines are used to convey energy, and at high frequencies
they serve as resonant circuits, measuring devices, and impedance
matching sections.

Viltage and current at any point on a transmission line is expressed as
the sum of the voltages and currents of two waves, one traveking forward
toward the load (the incident wave) and one reflected from the load (the
reflected or reverse wave).

The reflected wave consists of energy from the wave traveling toward the
load which is rejected by the load becausse the voltage to current ratio
does not fit the only voltage to current ratio the load can accept, its
impedance, perhaps a complex value.

All energy in the wave traveling toward the load and all energy
traveling away from the load (the opposite travel direction) must
conform to the absolute value of the line`s characteristic impedance
(Zo).

Phase of the reflected current traveling back toward the generator is
given a negative sign because the reflected wave is traveling in the
reverse direction from the forward wave which travels toward the load.
(See page 86 in the 1955 edition of Terman.

Phase of the reflected current traveling toward the generator is
everywhere proportional but out of phase with reflected voltage. The
reflected voltage to current ratio is: -Zo.

Actual voltage across the load is the sum of the incident and reflected
voltages. Actual current through the load is the sum of the incident and
reflected currents. The vector ratio of load voltage to load current
must equal the load impedance which may be a complex value.

The vector ratio of incident voltage to treflected voltage at the load
is called the reflection coefficient of the load. It may be obtained
from forward and reverse powers at the load. I have a special slide rule
given me by the Bird wattmeter people to convert wattmeter forward and
reverse indications into a reflection coefficient or an SWR.

The transmission line and its load completely control the volts and amps
everywhere in the system driven by a certain generator. There are no
renegade volts and amps sloshing around. The idea is preposterous.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI