Wave Physics

Ideal as a classroom text or for individual study, this unique one-volume overview of classical wave theory covers wave phenomena of acoustics, optics, electromagnetic radiations, and more.

Balancing concise mathematical analysis with real-world examples and practical applications, to provide a clear and approachable introduction to wave phenomena.

Brilliantly written undergraduate-level text emphasizes optics, acoustics; covers transverse waves on a string, acoustic plane waves, boundary-value problems, much more. Numerous problems (half with solutions).

This is a text for the third semester of undergraduate physics for students in accel erated programs who typicaHy are preparing for advanced degrees in science or engineering. The third semester is often the only opportunity for physics depart ments to present to those of these students who are not physics majors a coherent background in the physics of waves required later for confident handling of applied problems, especially applications based on quantum mechanics. Physics is an integrated subject. It is often found that the going gets easier as one goes deeper, learning the mathematical connections tying together the vari ous phenomena. Even so, the steps that took us from classical wave physics to Heisenberg's "Physical Principles of Quantum Theory" were, as a matter of his tory, harder to take than later steps dealing with detailed applications. With these considerations in mind, the classical physics of oscillations and waves is devel oped here at a more advanced mathematical level than is customary in second year courses. This is done to explain the classical phenomena, but also to provide background for the introductory wave mechanics, leading to a logical integration of the latter subject into the presentation. The concluding chapters on nonlinear waves, solitons, and chaos broaden the previously established concepts of wave behavior, while introducing the reader to important topics in current wave physics.

This textbook gives a detailed explanation of waves and oscillations in classical physics. These classical phenomena are dealt with at a more advanced level than is customary for second-year courses. All aspects of classical wave physics are presented, including the mathematical and physical basis needed for extended understanding. Finally several chapters are devoted to important topics in current wave physics. Special attention is given to nonlinear waves, solitons, chaotic behavior and associated phenomena. The new edition contains improvements such as full development of Greens functions, a broadening of the treatment of wave mechanics and a closer integration with classical mechanics, plus more examples and problems.

The first complete introduction to waves and wave phenomena by a renowned theorist. Covers damping, forced oscillations and resonance; normal modes; symmetries; traveling waves; signals and Fourier analysis; polarization; diffraction.

'Particle or Wave' explains the origins and development of modern physical concepts about matter and the controversies surrounding them.

Introduction to Wave Physics is a textbook that was developed out of a one-semester college course on Waves and Optics. It is designed to prepare the reader for work, research, or further study in areas that require a strong foundation in wave phenomena. It is therefore intended to be comprehensive and includes chapters on interference, reflection and transmission, cavities and waveguides, radiation, diffraction and scattering. It proceeds from simple to complex, employing one-dimensional waves to introduce major concepts in the first chapter, and extending each of those concepts to three dimensions in subsequent chapters for rectangular, spherical and cylindrical coordinates. Both scalar and vector waves are addressed, using acoustic waves as the primary example of the former and electromagnetic waves as the primary example of the latter.