CHAPTER 16 WAVES I Cabrillo College（第十六章我Cabrillo大学）.pdf

436 CHAPTE R 16 WAVE S —I Transverse and Longitudinal Waves Mechanical waves Superposition of Waves When two or more waves traverse can exist only in material media and are governed by Newton’s the same medium, the displacement of any particle of the medium laws. Transverse mechanical waves, like those on a stretched string, is the sum of the displacements that the individual waves would are waves in which the particles of the medium oscillate perpendic- give it. ular to the wave’s direction of travel. Waves in which the particles of the medium oscillate parallel to the wave’s direction of travel Interference of Waves Two sinusoidal waves on the same are longitudinal waves. string exhibit interference, adding or canceling according to the prin- ciple of superposition. If the two are traveling in the same direction Sinusoidal Waves A sinusoidal wave moving in the positive and have the same amplitude ym and frequency (hence the same direction of an x axis has the mathematical form wavelength) but differ in phase by a phase constant f, the result is a single wave with this same frequency: y (x , t) ym sin(kx vt), (16-2) y (x , t) [2ym cos 1f] sin(kx vt 1f). (16-51) where y is the amplitude of the wave, k is the angular wave num- 2 2 m ber, v is the angular frequency, and kx