Wave Motion

One-Dimensional Waves
• Envision a disturbance ψ moving in the positive x-direction
with a constant speed v.
• It might be the vertical displacement of the string in Fig. 2.2
or the magnitude of an electric or magnetic field associated
with an electromagnetic wave (or even the quantum-
mechanical probability amplitude of a matter wave).

where f(x, t) corresponds to some specific function or wave

shape.
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One-Dimensional Waves

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One-Dimensional Waves

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One-Dimensional Waves

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One-Dimensional Waves
• For the moment we limit ourselves to a wave that does not
change its shape as it progresses through space.
• After a time t the pulse has moved along the x-axis a distance vt,
but in all other respects it remains unaltered.
• We now introduce a coordinate system S', that travels along with
the pulse (Fig. 2.3c) at the speed v.

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One-Dimensional Waves
• In this system ψ, is no longer a function of time, and as we move
along with S: we see a stationary constant profile described by Eq.
(2.2). Here, the coordinate is x' rather than x, so that

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One-Dimensional Waves

• This then represents the most general form of the one-dimensional

wavefunction.
• We have only to choose a shape, Eq. (2.2), and then substitute (x - vt) for
x in f(x).
• The resulting expression describes a wave having the desired profile,
moving in the positive x-direction with a speed v.

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One-Dimensional Waves
• ψ(x) = 3/[10𝑥 2 + 1] = f(x)

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One-Dimensional Waves
• ψ(x) = 3/[10𝑥 2 + 1] = f(x)

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The Differential Wave Equation
• This linear, homogeneous, second order, partial differential
equation is usually taken as the defining expression for physical
waves in a lossless medium.
• There are lots of different kinds of waves, and each is described
by its own wavefunction ψ(x).
• Some are written in terms of pressure, or displacement, while
others deal with electromagnetic fields, but remarkably all such
wavefunctions are solutions of the same differential wave
equation.
• The reason it’s a partial differential equation is that the wave
must be a function of several independent variables, namely,
those of space and time.
• A linear differential equation is essentially one consisting of two
or more terms, each composed of a constant multiplying a
function ψ(x) or its derivatives

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The Differential Wave Equation
• We now derive the one-dimensional form of the wave equation
that the most basic of waves traveling at a fixed speed requires
two constants (amplitude and frequency or wavelength) to
specify it.
• This suggests second derivatives.
• Because there are two independent variables (here, x and t) we
can take the derivative of ψ(x, t) with respect to either x or t.

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The Differential Wave Equation

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The Differential Wave Equation

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The Differential Wave Equation

which is the desired one-dimensional differential wave equation.

Note that this is a so-called homogeneous differential equation

In other words, ψ , is in each term of the equation, and that means that if ψ is a
solution any multiple of ψ will also be a solution. Equation 2.l l is the wave
equation for undamped systems that do not contain sources in the region under
consideration.

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Superposition principle
• Suppose that the wavefunctions ψ1 and ψ 2 are each separate
solutions of the wave equation; it follows that (ψ1 + ψ 2 ) is also a
solution.
• This is known as the Superposition Principle

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Superposition principle
• What this means is that when two separate waves arrive at the
same place in space wherein they overlap, they will simply add to
(or subtract from) one another without permanently destroying
or disrupting either wave.
• The resulting disturbance at each point in the region of overlap is
the algebraic sum of the individual constituent waves at that
location (Fig. 2.13).
• Once having passed through the region where the two waves
coexist, each will move out and away unaffected by the
encounter.

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Superposition principle

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Superposition principle
• Developing the illustration a bit further, Fig. 2.14 shows how the
resultant arising from the superposition of two nearly equal-
amplitude waves depends on the phase-angle difference between
them.
• In Fig. 2.14a two constituent waves have the same phase; that is,
their phase-angle difference is zero, and they are said to be in-
phase; they rise and fall in-step, reinforcing each other.

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Superposition principle
• Following the sequence of the drawings, we see that the resultant
amplitude diminishes as the phase-angle difference increases until,
in Fig. 2.14d, it almost vanishes when that difference equals 𝜋.
• The waves are then said to be 180 degree out-of-phase.

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Superposition principle
• Following the sequence of the drawings, we see that the resultant
amplitude diminishes as the phase-angle difference increases until,
in Fig. 2.14d, it almost vanishes when that difference equals 𝜋.
• The waves are then said to be 180 degree out-of-phase.

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