A.

 La Rosa                                                    Lecture Notes 
PH‐213  GENERAL PHYSICS 
________________________________________________________________________  
 

CHAPTER 16:  WAVES‐1 
1. The wave equation 
Outline of Mechanical waves  
         Longitudinal and transverse waves 
  Waves in a string, sound waves 

The wave equation 
  Description of waves using functions of two variables 
Travelling waves 
2y 1 2y
The wave equation   2  2 2  0
x v t
Waves in a string 
 
Reflection and transmission of waves at an interface 
 
Y=Y(x,t) A kx-ωt+φ Notice the whole expression inside the
parenthesis is referred to as the phase

λ is the spatial
periodicity

T is the
temporal
periodicity
Example
A sinusoidal wave of frequency 500 Hz has a speed of 350 m/s.
a) How far apart are two points x1 and x2 that, at a given time to,
differ in phase by /3 rad?
b) What is the phase difference between two displacements Y1 and
Y2 at a certain point (at a certain xo point) at times 1 .0 ms apart?
(Notice, you are not being asked for the values of Y1 nor Y2;
just their relative phase difference.)

Solution
v=f
f = 500 Hz and v = 350 m/s implies,
 = 350/500 = 0.7 m

Y = A Cos (k x - t + 
a) Things happen at t = t0
Phase1 = k x1 - t0 + 
Phase2 = k x2 - t0 + 

Phase1 - Phase2 = [k x1 - t0 +  ] - [ k x2 - t0 + 

= [k( x1 - x2 

/3 rad = [k( x1 - x2 implies
x1 - x2 = (/3 )/k = (/3 ) /2 = 
= 0.7/6 = 11.7 cm
b) Things happen at x = x0
Phase1 = k x0 - t1 + 
Phase2 = k x0 - t2 + 
Phase1 - Phase2 = [ k x0 - t1 + ] - [k x0 - t2 + 
= [ ( t2 - t1 
= [ f ( t2 - t1 

( t2 - t1 1 ms implies,
Phase1 - Phase2 = [ 500 Hz ( 10-3s 
Mechanical Waves
Example
The Wave Equation
Waves on a Stretched String
Cos  = 1 – (1/2) 2 + …  For small  : Cos  ~ 1
Sin  =  – (1/3!)  + …
3
 For small  : Sin  = 
Tan  =  – (1/3!)2  + …  For small  : Tan  = 
3

For the case of the string:

Horizontal force Fx = T Cos  - T Cos 
Vertical force Fy = T Sin  - T Sin 


For the case of small  and smallcos  = 1, cos  = 1

sin  = , sin  = 
tan  = , tan  = 

Horizontal force Fx = T - T = 0
Vertical force Fy = T Sin  - T Sin 
 But, conveniently for the steps to follow below, we
expressed the expression above in terms of the
tangent function
= T tan  - T tan 

The tan can be interpreted as the slope of the y vs x curve. This is

illustrated in the figure below.

Notice, at a given fixed time t:

Y y(x,t)
 y
= tan 
x x


Geometrical
interpretation

x
  x)

Or,
2y 1 2y T
 2 2 0 where v 
x 2
v t 
which is the wave equation

It admits solutions of the form

y(x,t) = f (x-vt) + g(x+vt)

where f and g are arbitrary functions

Energy content in a wave travelling along a string
Case: y = A Sin(kx-ωt)
ω/k = v
(T/µ)1/2 = v
Propagation of energy along a string
Example
 
P

At x=0

At x=xo
The little guy A
shakes his hands UP The little guy A sees
and DOWN with a that a particular
(temporal) frequency segment of the string
f. located at x=xo
So, at x=0 the motion (point “P”) goes UP
is described by and DOWN with
Y = Cos (0-t) frequency f.
= Cos t
y = Cos (k xo -t)
 = 2f

f =v
Reflection and Transmission of Waves at a Interface

Reflected Transmitted

Incident

incident A

reflected B

At the left of x=0

the total
displacement is

At the right of x=0

the total
displacement is
 Left A B
side

Right
side