PHYA22H3 Lecture 1: Waves
16 Jan 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
PHYA22H3 verified notes
1/26View all
Document Summary
Wave model : describes the collective behaviour of multiple particles. Medium : a substance in which the waves travel. Wave : a disturbance traveling through a medium with a certain wave speed. Waves propagate while the particles of the medium do not, they simply oscillate back and forth, or up and down. It is a form of energy moving from point a to b. It uses the medium in order to transmit the energy. The medium do not affect the intensity of the waves (= frictionless"). Energy is absorbed by the medium in which we expect an exponential decay in energy as the waves travel Mechanical waves : can only exist in a medium. Electromagnetic waves : it is self-sustaining, where the electromagnetic field oscillate. Matter waves : example - electron waves, discussed in quantum physics which do not require a material medium. The displacement (example: upward, y-axis) is perpendicular to the direction of movement (example: forward, x-axis)
