Waves Definition and 1000 Threads

Me and my friend have recently (half a year ago) had a huge debate, between ourselves, about the wave-particle duality. We took sides in light being a particle or a wave. I was for particle he was for waves. At the end of a hot-filled week of arguing, the debate ended up with the acceptance of...

"For simplicity, let us assume the flow turns around a corner downstream of the throat, where the Mach number is M0 > 1, to an angle θ1, and let us indicate just three of an infinite number of waves making up the "expansion fan". Since the centerline is an axis of symmetry, the waves must...

Homework Statement Show, by completing the square in the exponent, that the Fourier transform of a Gaussian wavepacket ##a(t)## of width ##\tau## and centre (angular) frequency ##\omega_0##: ##a(t)=a_0e^{-i\omega_0t}e^{-(t/\tau)^2}## is a Gaussian of width ##2/\tau##, centred on ##\omega_0##...

Hello! I have been thinking of broadcasting a message into outer space. It sounds silly, I know, but that's just something I'd like to do for and with my niece. She's 8 years old and very interested in physics (as far as she understands it). I have some knowledge in electronics, I think I...

Suppose a gravitational wave propagating through space encounters a strong magnetic field (for example the wave might pass through a magnetar with a B field strength of 10^{11} Tesla). Would there be any observable perturbation in the magnetic field itself? In other words would the gravitational...

ylet x = Asinx, y = Acosx, apparently x^2 + y^2 = A^2 so this combination goes in circles. wot? creating waves in a pool 90 degrees off and out of phase by 90 will make it move in circles? I'm skeptical, anyone have a video of an experiment that demonstrates this?

My understanding is that gravitational waves have not been detected from the proposed inflationary epoch of the big bang, only from the merger of two super massive objects. Is that correct? Are GWs predicted from the big bang in models where there is no inflationary epoch? If GWs are detected...

What causes there to be a node at a closed end of an air column and an antinode at the open end of a air column? Why doesn't it change as the wave oscillates?

http://imgur.com/cUNs2z7 In this book I found by chance on Google, the author claims that “solutions of the wave equation only take the form of functions (...) in one and three dimensions. In two dimensions solutions are more complex”. Then, at the end of the paragraph of interest (which I...

Homework Statement A naval towed-array sonar comprises a line of ##80## transducers, equally spaced over a total length of ##120 m##, that is towed behind a ship so that it lies in a straight line just below the surface of the water. An adjustable phase delay can be introduced electronically...

Hi everyone! Sorry for the bad English! Please, I learned that a wave is something the photons "surf" on, like, in one electromagnetic wave, can have many photons. So, is this true? Like, I though that one gamma ray and an infrared photon would ride different waves... More: the light from the...

Homework Statement Sketch and explain the operation of the Michelson interferometer. How is the transmission of the interferometer modified if the amplitude transmission t and reflectivity r of the partially-reflecting beamsplitter are not equal? What happens to the fraction of light that is...

I want to ask about question 27 in Cambridge university physics paper 9702/01 of October/November 2008 https://physics18.weebly.com/uploads/5/9/8/5/59854633/9702_w08_qp_01.pdfand question 30 in Cambridge university physics paper 9702/12 of May/June 2012...

Why are clocks not used to measure gravity waves? Spacetime wriggle and time must also vary. It is possible to measure time very accurately and with a high resolution. Så why not use clocks to detect gravity waves?

There are many explanations on the internet, of refraction and convergence of ocean waves entering shallow water around a headland However they all go no deeper than this statement "Where the water is shallow the wave rays converge wave energy is greater where the wave rays spread out the...

Homework Statement A lightly damped oscillator (mass, m, and spring constant,s, damping constant, b, with one end fixed) under external harmonic force (F0cosωt).(i.e., Standard mass-spring system with lubricated damper, and driven by an external harmonic force.) Since it is lightly...

does any object with mass that moves create a gravity wave? So if I wave my hand it is in fact creating gravity waves, just very small ones

I'm aware that the LIGO system uses interferometry but I'm confused how it works in this case. Do they test both beams of light? Or do they use one beam to test the wavelength of the other and see the difference? Also it is sensitive up to 10 e-18 meters, is that for the change in wavelength or...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIGO#/media/File:Simplified_diagram_of_an_Advanced_LIGO_detector.png The axis on the bottom of the graph depicts frequencies between 20-1000 Hz which are sound waves. Again, how can a sound wave (gravity waves) propagate in the near vacuum of stellar space...

As I understand the double slit experiment, an interference is created on the barrier. Usually the drawing is made as the constructive waves hit the wall perfectly in middle. Let's say the wave has a frequency f, the interference should be moving away from the middle at time t+f/4. Why we don't...

I have no idea where this belongs or if it will be deleted but would Alcubierre drive cause detectable gravitational waves? And since I'm heading out on this limb would the direction of propulsion be indiscernible? As per the Wikipedia description it follows from a solution to the same general...

Homework Statement I don't know how to do Question 2 part C. Homework Equations I know that E=hf and I know the photoelectric equation: hf = work function + 1/2mv^2The Attempt at a Solution I honestly don't have a clue how to do part c of question 2. I think it involves one of the two...

Hello All, I would like to know why it´s so difficult to find information about the generation of fringes in a one slit interference experiment in a water tank. Best Regards, DaTario

Hi! I just had some questions. Is there any jobs or careers that directly relate with the interference of light waves. I know that an optical engineer would be one but they would create lenses for telescopes and stuff. I don't understand how that would relate to the interference of light, are...

Since gravitational waves have energy, they can curve space all by themselves. I wonder in what conditions, if any, two gravitational waves could orbit each other. Thanks.

when it is asked that why radio waves do not interact with the magnetic field of electric wires or magnets, people say that radio waves are not "matter" and they do not have "charge". i really can not understand this for ex think about 2 magnets. The magnet A has a magnetic field and when we put...

Question: The speed of waves in shallow water depends only on the acceleration due to gravity (g) and the water depth (h). Which of the following formulas describes the speed of the wave? a) (1/2)gh^2 b) gh c) h/g d)(gh)^(1/2) Attempt: Change in V = at t= ΔV/a Δx=vt+(1/2)at2 Δx =...

Homework Statement Homework Equations Harmonics equations The Attempt at a Solution So, I got (A), which is the answer key is correct, but I'm not sure whether my reasoning is right or not. Would this be considered a closed-end air column question? Anyways, according to the length-wavelength...

They say that substances have color because when light waves of all colors hit the substance, the atoms do absorb all the colors, except those that is its color. Red substance is red because it absorbs all the color waves, but reflects the red waves. But all the color waves the red substance...

How do dielectrics affect the number of modes for standing electromagnetic waves in a box?

Hi all, is my description below a reasonable attempt in explaining how a standing wave forms? The main part I am a bit confused as to how to explain is why the antinodes move up and down. Thanks!A standing wave is formed when energy of a wave of the right frequency is trapped in the system...

1. “The profile of a transverse harmonic wave, traveling at 1.2 m s^-1 is given by y(x)=(0.02 m)sin[157 rad m^-1)x]. Determine amplitude, wavelength, frequency, angular frequency, and period. Homework Equations y(x,t)=Acos(kx-wt)[/B]The Attempt at a Solution I attempted to change it to a...

Hello everyone, Can I seek help on the difference of ultrasonic waves and sound waves? I find it confusing.

I was thinking about light and sound and then I thought "what about smells?". What I mean is, what's the physics behind a smell?? Is it a wave, is there particles that you smell?? It sounds weird but I'm really curious about this. I understand it might be in the biology sort-of area but then...

Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution a. ##{ P }_{ avg }=\frac { 1 }{ 2 } \mu v{ \omega }^{ 2 }{ A }^{ 2 }=\frac { 1 }{ 2 } 0.075\frac { 10 }{ 3 } { 0.35 }^{ 2 }{ (10\pi ) }^{ 2 }=15.1W## b. Not sure how to calculate that... I'm guessing it'd be some integral over 1...

2 sound waves that are mathematical polarities cancel each other out according to my audio engineering book. I thought energy cannot be destroyed, just changed. Am I wrong? What happens to the energy? Same question could be applied to matter and anti matter right?

Homework Statement Problem: https://imgur.com/a/ppDy6 Calculate the fluid speed at a certain point Given fluid and sound speed before the point Length of the conduct 2. Useful Equations: Uniformly accelerated motion(my solution) I have been studying this problem it for some time, have...

Homework Statement Express the following in the form x = Re{Aeiαeiωt} (a) x= cos(ωt) + sin(wt) (b) x= sin(ωt +π/4) + cos(ωt) (c) x= 2cos(ωt+π/3) + (√3)sin(ωt)-cos(ωt) Homework Equations cos x = 1/2 e^ix + 1/2 e^-ix sin x = − i/ 2e^ix + i/2 e^−ix The Attempt at a Solution To be honest, I have...

Homework Statement The input signal to the interferometer shown in the picture below is given by: $$E_{\text{in}}=\sqrt{P}\exp\left(j\omega_{0}t+\frac{jD(t)\pi}{2}+j\varphi_{p}(t)\right). \tag{1}$$ ##P## is the power that is received. The delay present in one arm of the interferometer is...

Dear all, In a recent talk, I have heard that speed of gravitational waves is non-dispersive. How is it proved "observationally" in LIGO detections that all the frequencies travel with the same speed, so one can say the speed is non-dispersive?

How can we show mathematically that a wave transfer energy?

Hi, I wonder why the energy that waves transfer is only dependent on amplitude? E.g. in this animation: http://lifecdn.dailyburn.com/life/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2.Alternating-Slam4.gif The waves on the rope transfer energy to the items on the right side. Wouldn't there be transferred...

When the water waves go through one wide slit (slit wider than wave length), there's no fringes, the water waves spread all over the sides, like in this pic: http://electron6.phys.utk.edu/light/images1-3/misc3b.jpg or in this pic...

I just want to know does any random equation of the form y=f (x-vt) reppresent a wave?? If yes why?? And is this true for all cases or is there any condition?

When sea waves approach the shore they roll up and break due to different velocities of water layers formed due to the gradual change in water depth. The highest wave peaks move faster than all other layers and thus falls down. All other layers fall the same way but in a delay. this ends up with...

Is this accepted throughout the science community now? Is there any doubt that LIGO actually detected gravity in the form of waves?

Okay, I have a very simple question that...Suppose we have a very wide cube(dense and hard)...We place two persons at each of its ends...One the persons strikes its surface at one end. Now this person A will hear the sound due to vibrations of that end's surface (which further vibrate the air...

1. The problem statement, all variables, and given/known data Consider a two-loop standing wave on a string. If we increase the tension without changing the frequency, what kind of standing wave can we obtain? (a) one-loop (b) three-loop Homework Equations Velocity = square root of(T/U)...

Hello all, I am doing this question where it asks if I increase the tension of a two loop standing wave without changing the frequency, what kind of standing wave will I get? I came to the conclusion that it would become a one loop standing wave as f= 2L/(n) as I plugged in 2 for n and I got...

A while ago, I saw an explanation of radio waves. Overall, it's a decent vid. I bumped into some nasty problems. Basically, the image shows that the wavelength of a EM-wave corresponds to the height of the antenna. The visualisation however can't be right since the wave cannot go upwards- the...