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Ray
optics
Lecture 2
Chapter 2
Wave Motion
Introduction to waves
Wave equation
Harmonic waves
Transverse waves:
the medium is displaced in the
direction perpendicular to motion
Note: disturbance advances, not matter
Human wave
x, t f x, t
Shape of disturbance at any instant
represents the profile of the wave:
x, t t 0 f x,0 f ( x )
at time = 0
Gaussian function
f x exp ax 2
x , t f x vt
If we have a snapshot of a wave shape at time
zero we can find a full time-dependent
equation of the wave.
What is this?: x, t f x vt
Regardless of shape, variables x and t must
appear as a single unit (xvt)
exp a x vt
x x x ' x
f
x x '
v
t
x
x '
1
x
t x ' t
x'
v
t
f
v
t
x '
2
2
f
2
v
2
t
x '2
Harmonic waves
x, t A sin k ( x vt )
This is sinusoidal disturbance both in
time and space (the wave is periodic in
space and time)
x, t A sin k ( x vt )
x, t x , t
A sink ( x vt )
A sink ( x vt ) k
sink ( x vt ) sink ( x vt ) k
k 2
k ( x vt )
Can rewrite:
x, t A sin( )
phase
x, t x / 2 f / 2 vt A sin k ( / 2 vt )
period
t
period
x, t x, t
A sink x v(t )
A sink x vt kv
sink ( x vt ) sink ( x vt ) kv
Therefore: kv 2
kv 2
k 2
2
v 2
A sin k ( x vt )
Wave parameters:
- for wave moving right
+ for wave moving left
Alternative forms:
x t
A sin 2
A sin2 x t
A sinkx t
x
A sin 2 t
v
mostly
used
k - propagation number
- wavelength
- period
- frequency
- angular temporal frequency
- wave number
k 2
v
1
2 2
single frequency
Periodic waves
Waveform produced by saxophone:
profile-elements - when
repeated can reproduce the
whole waveform
Can use the same parameters to describe:
- wavelength - the length of one profile-element
- period - the duration in time for one profile-element
- wave number - number of profile-elements per unit length
- etc
A sin k ( x vt )
k 2
2
A sin
( x ct )
7
6 10 m
v
3 108 m/s
v c
14
10
Hz
9
600 10 m
Hz1/s
t 0
x, t A sin k x a t
x, t A sin kx t ka
x, t A sin kx t
phase: kx t
- initial phase
x, t A sin kx t
x, t A coskx t 2
x
equivalent equations
x, t A sin kx t
x, t A sin t kx
x, t A cost kx / 2
t x
k
x t
t x
x
v
x t
k
t