New answers tagged waves
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Accepted
Displacement Wave and Pressure Wave
When we define the Bulk Modulus,
$$B=\frac{∆p}{\frac{-∆V}{V}} \tag{1}$$
we consider the "pressure change", $∆p$ applied initially at the initial position and then as the volume squeezes, the ...
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How is light as electromagnetic waves produced?
This is bunk. "Photons" are name given by Lewis - for Einstein's multiplying the Planck Constant (then currently available) into a wave-length - to supply a 'quantized' (numbers added) as ...
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Equation of standing waves
As you probably know the cos and sin functions are equivalent up to a phase $\varphi$. Hence, in general we can write the (envelope) amplitude of the standing wave as
$$
A(x) = A_0 \cos(K x + \varphi)
...
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Equation of standing waves
The answer is yes. A generic standing wave is a superposition of oppositely propagating waves, one in each direction. This is easiest to see in the case of a taut string fixed at both ends. The two ...
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Reflection and refraction in one dimension. Explicit formula seems to contradict the literature?
You actually have not stated your problem in sufficient detail for an actual answer to exist.
However, if the system in question is two strings of different mass densities joined together, then the ...
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Does Young's interference experiment require transversal wave?
It may surprise you, but the double-slit experiment (or bird's feather experiment, with which it was first performed) has nothing to do with interference. In case of interference
In places where the ...
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Does Young's interference experiment require transversal wave?
Young's interference experiment does not specifically require transverse waves, but it does require waves that exhibit coherence and can interfere. The experiment works based on the principle of ...
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Does Young's interference experiment require transversal wave?
You can hear interference 'fringes' by connecting two loud speakers to the same signal generator and walking around the area.
At some positions the sound will be loud and at others it will be faint.
...
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Pebble dropped on a stationary pond with a non-perpendicular angle of impact to help conceptualize the Michelson-Morley experiment
is it correct to say that the resulting wave propagation on the water's surface in the direction of $F_x$
is 1) faster and 2) has a reduced spatial frequency (i.e. more physical distance between each ...
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Pebble dropped on a stationary pond with a non-perpendicular angle of impact to help conceptualize the Michelson-Morley experiment
TL;DR: pretty much, that's how the MM experiment went down
The expected result of the MM interferometer experiment (notably, the one they didn't observe) was that the two legs would interfere with ...
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Wave equation and mixed derivatives
If we consider the wave equation
$$
c^2\nabla^2 F = {\partial^2 F\over \partial t^2}
$$
The Laplacian operator in l.h.s. has many possible forms, depending on the coordinate system. For generalized ...
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Does the generic wave equation imply the universe has a Minkowski spacetime?
It does not imply a Minkowski spacetime if the hypothesis is just as in the question.
However, it would imply it if making stronger the hypothesis as follows.
If we assume that
$\Psi$ is a scalar
in ...
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How energy density of EM wave oscillate?
What is EM radiation
You have radiation always and everywhere. It occurs primarily through the relaxation of subatomic particles by means of photon emission. The previously necessary excitation of the ...
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Accepted
How energy density of EM wave oscillate?
There are two issues:
how to understand what classical electromagnetism says about em waves
how to understand the quantum physics (photons) and how it relates to (1).
In classical electromagnetism ...
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I don't know how to use potential energy formula of transverse wave
Actually, the potential energy is maximum at $x=2$m. This might seem counterintuitive. Note that even the kinetic energy is maximum at $x=2$m, or at every node in this diagram.
Think about it: Elastic ...
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Question about signs of forces
There is a misprint in the textbook.
$\dfrac{F_2}{F_{\rm T}}={\LARGE\color{red}-} \left(\dfrac{\partial y}{\partial x} \right)_{x_2}$ should read $\dfrac{F_2}{F_{\rm T}}={\color{red}{\LARGE +}} \left(...
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Question about signs of forces
I do not understand why $F_T$ is not considered positive in one direction and negative in the other.
The author has implicitly assigned a tension $F_T$ to one end of the string segment and then used ...
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Superposition v/s Superimposition
My understanding is that in superposition, you take the vector sum of two things, by which process you obtain a third thing which is unique to its two (or more) vector components. This can be seen in ...
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What do "elastic property" and "inertial property" mean in this passage about the speed of sound in elastic media?
Elastic Property: Bulk modulus
Longitudinal wave speed:=sqrt(Bulk Modulus / density)
Reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulk_modulus
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Don't all waves transport mass?
Waves will be able to transport matter if the pulse is specified to do so. What causes motion in say a fluid? The velocity or the pressure? Obviously ONLY ever the pressure - that is the cause and it ...
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Accepted
Diffraction of water waves through a gap
The diffraction equation is:
$$d \sin (\theta) = n \lambda = nv/f$$
More diffraction is bigger $\sin(\theta)$, which is effectively the same as bigger $\theta$. It's now straightforward to see that D ...
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Diffraction of water waves through a gap
You are right that the question of diffraction can be confusing without a graph, especially when discussing the relationship between the gap size and the wavelength.
Diffraction is greatest when the ...
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Wave Propagation Free Space: Boundary Conditions
Perhaps this discussion could help: Wave function boundary condition in scattering problem
In scattering problems one usually assumes a form of an outgoing/incoming wave. These are also often ...
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Wave Propagation Free Space: Boundary Conditions
The boundary condition is plane waves fill all space. The initial condition is they have existed from the infinite past.
In practice, this usually means plane waves extend far enough that you don't ...
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How is the width of a slit related to the intensity of light passing through it?
actually double width can be imagined as a two slits overlapping with each other. that means the path difference right at the beginning will be zero. Hence amplitudes will add up. So i would say if ...
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How to imagine acoustic waves in brass instruments?
A standing wave in a string ca be viewed as a superposition of the wave reflected by the points where the string is clamped: we pluck the string, the waves propagate towards the ends of the spring, ...
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How to imagine acoustic waves in brass instruments?
Here's how:
a long trombone tube filled with air is like a squishy, compressible spring. The slug of air contained in the bell of the trombone is like a chunk of mass. that mass can be set into motion ...
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