I'm still not quite getting what I'm looking for. I want to be able to say that the resultant has a phase difference of ___° relative to either the original waves (that combine to create the resultant) or in reference to a non-interfering wave that can be compared to both (i.e the reference wave...
The spreadsheet idea is a great intuitive way of understanding the process (thank you sophiecentaur!), but I'd also like to be able to do it comparatively quickly using some sort of math. I've used the following trig to find the resultant phase (using X to denote phase difference between the...
I am in fact using waves of equal frequency. I'll try the trig first. What do you mean by the sum of two waves? The sum of their phases relative to a reference phase?
Could you possibly provide an example, solving for the phase of the resultant given the two amplitudes and the phase...
When you have waves that are out of phase by some fraction of a cycle, e.g not exactly in phase and not exactly 180 degrees anti-phase, how do you determine the phase (relative to the original component waveforms) of the resultant?
Specifically, is there an equation that solves for phase...
So did I use the wrong formula? And if so, how would I plug my numbers into the one you gave? What does x denote, and would I plug something into x and rearrange to solve for A, in your example?
Okay, I used the formula (A3)^2 = (A1)^2 + (A2)^2 + 2(A1)(A2)COS(P) where P is the phase difference.
Using 90 as P, 1 as A1 and 2 as A2 (as in my example), and I got 2.2 as the resultant's amp.
I'm now thinking that the only way the resultant's Amplitude will ever be 0 is at 1/2 a...
Two waves are perfectly superposed (traveling same direction), but are 90 degrees out of phase. Does this result in destructive or constructive interference, as the waves could be seen as either half anti-phase or half in-phase. For example, the first wave has an amplitude of 1. The second wave...
How would this be done? Does such a device/process have a name, or it is hypothetical? And would the device work for low frequencies, or can high-frequency waves be applied as well?
Also, could you post a link explaining the circuits able to detect zero-crossing of waves, and likewise would...
Is there any process or device that blocks EM waves of one phase (by any means, absorption, reflection, refraction, etc) but allows the transmission of EM waves of an alternate or opposite phase? Such that only waves of a certain phase can transmitted?
Alternatively, are there any...
Yes, I read about saturated absorption, but I'm not sure whether that is what I'm suggesting.
Particularly, is saturated absorption what I described (more photons than the atoms can absorb at a given time) or it it some specialized phenomena (the atoms taking longer to switch from energized...
Is there any process or device that will allow a transmission of an EM wave of a certain amplitude (say 2) but will block transmission of a lesser amplitude (say 1), such that an EM wave of a given amplitude of blocked, but a EM wave with 2x the amplitude will pass thru (even if that amplitude...
Thank you for the response, but I'm still not sure I understand.
1.) Why in particular did you use plane waves in your example? Would the same thing happen in these waveforms, which are beams of finite extent rather than plane waves?
2.) So, are you saying that the two examples given under...
Interference Question:
I'm trying to understand interference, I get the basic concept, that when two EM waves are superposed the resultant's amplitude of the vector sum of each original wave's respective amplitude. It's the following the creates confusion.
Picture the figure below. Wave A...
I meant resultant wave rather than new wave - a single wave that is the sum of each incident wave's amplitude, rather than a new wave created out of nothing (thus violating energy conservation laws).
Say that rather than wavetrains they are pulses. Would the two pulses sum their amplitudes at...
I appreciate your help. I have a questions and points of clarification though.
1.) You say "at all points in space". But they only are superposed at the point of intersection, so they can only sum vectorially at that point of intersection. Say, for example, that they are either coherent laser...