Engineering Physics (BPHY101L)

Dr. Tulsi Anna

Associate Professor (Grade 1)
Department of Physics
School of Advanced Sciences (SAS)
Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore Campus
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +6397892552 .

Date: 19th September 2022

Information related to the course
 Assessments for the evaluation of learning:
➢ Two CATs (CAT-1 and CAT-2) (both 50 Marks)
Relative marking
➢ One FAT at the end of the semester. (100 Marks)
➢ Two DA (Digital Assignments) (One before CAT-1, and the other before CAT-2)
(each 10 Marks)
➢ One quiz before the FAT.
➢ Dates will be announced in due course.

•Unless and otherwise the student gets prior approval from the concerned teacher for
absenting for a class for any one of the following genuine reasons[sickness as declared
by VIT doctor, marriage of own bother / sister, calamity in the family, or representing
VIT in any event as declared by Director (Student Welfare)] permission to redo the
assignments/quiz will not be given.
Assessments for the evaluation of learning:
➢ All (DA) assignment submissions will be in electronic mode in V-Top.
➢ If free hand writing/sketching is needed then the concerned teacher will decide the
mode of submission. In general, in such cases, you can take picture and convert it
into PDF, and then submit. But submitting in the handwritten case, CARE MUST
BE TAKEN SO THAT IT SHOULD BE LEGIBLE.
➢ The pass mark is 50% of the total and relative grading system will be followed.
➢ All the students are expected to attend 100% of the classes.
➢ In the Final-term review, attendance and class discussion participations will also be
considered in providing grades.
➢ Students should go through this course in a free, fearless ambience, with the liberty
to question anything related to course.
➢ This course is intended for inculcating independent, creative thinking and design
thinking skills in students and application of the same in real life problem solving.
Information related to the course Total 8-modules
Information related to the course
 Why do we need to study Physics?

It Is A Gateway To Problem-Solving
 Why do we need to study Physics?
➢ Physics help us to understand the natural phenomena at its fundamental levels to apply the general laws and
govern force and motion, matter and energy, space and time.
➢ An engineer needs to study physics because ALL engineering
is simply applied physics. Physics is the study of energy and
matter in our natural world. An engineer must understand
how to use the laws of physics to diagnose, solve problems,
create and innovate.
➢ Physics and Computer Science are two complementary fields.
Physics provides an analytic problem-solving outlook and basic
understanding of nature, while computer science enhances the
ability to make practical and marketable applications, in addition
to having its own theoretical interest. Computer engineers need a
certain amount physics knowledge to understand electronics and
hardware systems.
➢ A spinning disk drive's speed determines how much data can be
stored and retrieved. Modern computer science is dependent on
the physics of spin, as well as the direct impact of that spin speed
on data storage and latency.
Module:1 Introduction to waves Major aim to understand
Classification of waves based on their broad physical properties (mechanical waves, water waves, EM waves,
sound waves and matter waves). Discussion based on other criteria: longitudinal, transverse and mixed waves.
Further classification based on dimensionality: 1-D, 2-D and 3-D waves)

Reference: Chapter 5, Section 5.2 from 'The Physics of Vibrations and Waves’, 1st Edition, H J Pain and P Rankin, John Wiley
and Sons Ltd, 2015
Books
6th edition

By Samuel J.
Ling, J. Sanny,
and Moebs

Chapter 5 Chapter 15, 16, 17

 Module 1_Introduction to waves
✓ In physical world, there are two ways in which the energy can be transported from one place to other

A. By actual transportation of matter

Example: A bullet fired from a firearm carries its kinetic energy as it travels to the other location

B. The second method by which one can transport energy is much more important and useful. It
involves what are known as WAVES.
Uniqueness: The waves transfer energy but there may not be any transportation of matter in the
process.
 What is a wave?
A wave can be described as a periodic disturbance in a medium that travels through a medium and
carries energy and momentum from one location to another location.

➢ All waves require a source and a medium of

propagation.
➢ Waves may lose energy as they propagate
through a dense medium (attenuation).

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/uc-startup-rides-coveted-wave-energy-prize
✓ Wave formation and propagation

➢ Classic example of wave formation is the “Water ripples” as shown in the animation
➢ As you disturb the water, ripples propagates outwards from the point of disturbance. Disturbance is the
process of energy transfer to the water particles.
➢ As you can see from the “Duck” animation, water particles do not change their position (no translation
motion); but the ripples do change.
➢ Water particles have oscillatory motion due to the disturbance at the still water. Disturbance travels from
the point of contact to the shore.
 Classification of Waves

Mechanical waves
We can produce a mechanical wave using a thin and long elastic string with its one end fixed to a wall.
✓ Wave formation and propagation Mechanical waves
We may conclude that:
➢ A wave is generated due to two simultaneous, at the same time, distinct motions. The first one is the
oscillatory motion of the particles of the medium and the second is the linear motion of the disturbance.
➢ In wave motion, the propagation of a disturbance does not take place due to the physical movement of
the particles in the medium. The disturbance actually propagates because of the transfer of energy from
one particle to the other progressively. Thus, we may conclude that the waves transport energy and not
the matter.
Spring-mass system

The oscillations of the particle of a medium and the propagation

of wave in the medium are intimately connected.
 Waves

Mechanical Waves Electromagnetic Waves

Light Waves
Longitudinal Transverse Microwaves Waves
Waves Waves Infrared Waves
Microwaves Waves
Sound Waves Water Waves
Ultraviolet rays
❖ Most mechanical waves are due to a series of linked
oscillators. The oscillators oscillate about their equilibrium X- Rays
points in space with the disturbance being transmitted by the
linkage between the oscillators. Radio Waves
Surface waves: Mixed waves
Matter Waves: associated with matter
 Classification of Waves
✓ Transverse Waves
❖ The particles of the medium oscillate perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels.
❖ Travelling waves on a taut string, the disturbance propagates along the length of the rope but the particles oscillate
up and down.
❖ Although all points on the string itself are constrained to move only up and down, wave pulse move perpendicular
along the length of the string. The wave speed is the speed with which a pulse moves along the string.
❖ Secondary seismic waves are an example of transverse waves. They travel more slowly than the primary seismic
waves. Secondary seismic waves shake the material they travel through from side to side. Transverse waves require
that there should be a shearing force in the medium. Hence, they can be propagated only in the medium which
will support a shearing stress, i.e. mainly solids. For this reason, mechanical transverse waves cannot pass
though a liquid because liquid molecules slide past each other.
✓ Transverse Waves
❖ Exception: Electromagnetic waves, which do not require any medium to propagate, are also
an example of transverse waves. The electric and the magnetic field of an electromagnetic wave
vibrate at right angles to the direction of propagation and also at right angles to each other.
 Classification of Waves
✓ Longitudinal Waves
❖ In longitudinal waves, the oscillation of the particles is parallel to the direction in which the wave
travels.
❖ If one end of the spring is suddenly given an in and out
oscillation parallel to the length of the spring, the coils of the
spring start exerting forces on each other and the
compression and the expansion points travel along the length
of the spring. The coils oscillate right and left parallel to the
spring as shown

Compressions, which is the crowding together of the molecules,

and rarefactions, which is the spreading out of the molecules
away from each other, travel along the spring. The pressure at the
compression point is higher and the pressure at a rarefaction point
is lower
 Classification of Waves Example: Sound Waves
✓ Longitudinal Waves
❖ A loudspeaker supplied with alternating current creates sound waves because the diaphragm of the
loudspeaker is forced to move to and fro.
❖ The diaphragm compresses the surrounding air in front of it as it moves forward and then it moves back
before creating another compression.
❖ Effectively, the air which is the medium of propagation in this case, moves to and fro as the sound waves
pass through it.
 Classification of Waves
✓ Longitudinal Waves
 Classification of Waves
✓ Mixed Waves
Body Wave
❖ Seismic waves
❖ Since the Earth or any other planetary body can be
considered to be an elastic object, it will support the
propagation of traveling waves.
❖ The Earth's crust as a solid object will support waves Body Wave
through the crust called body waves and on the
surface (surface waves).
❖ In a solid material these waves can be either
longitudinal waves, or transverse waves.
❖ For seismic waves through the bulk material the Surface Wave
longitudinal or compressional waves are called P
waves (for "primary" waves) whereas the transverse
waves are called S waves ("secondary" waves)
❖ Since any material, solid or liquid (fluid) is subject to
compression, the P waves can travel through any Surface Wave
kind of material. However, S waves depend upon a
resistance to transverse or "shear" force which does
not exist in a liquid or gas medium, so they can only
travel in the solid parts of the Earth.
❖ Main types of seismic waves
 Classification of Waves
✓ Travelling Waves:

❖ These are the waves that propagate through time and space.
❖ Crests and troughs of the waves move down the rope, and if the rope were infinitely long such waves
would be called progressive waves – these are waves travelling in an unbounded medium free from
possible reflection.
❖ Examples: Electromagnetic waves, sound waves, water waves etc.
 Classification of Waves
✓ Standing Waves:

❖ Standing waves, or stationary waves, remain in a constant position with crests and troughs in fixed intervals.
➢ Two waves of equal frequency & amplitude travel along the same line at the same speed but in opposite
directions. The two waves interfere.
➢ At certain frequencies called resonant frequencies, the waves interfere to create a wave pattern where the
positions of crests & troughs do not move.

Fig: Blue & Red waves are the incident waves travelling past each
other in opposite directions. The black wave is the resultant
stationary wave.

Nodes: Points with no vibration/amplitude (0 displacement)

Antinodes: Points with maximum vibration/amplitude (maximum displacement)
 Wave Properties
Wave Speed: The speed of a wave is the distance it covers
in one second. It is different from the particle speed.

Wave Frequency (f): The frequency with which the

particles of the medium (through which the wave is
passing) oscillate is known as wave frequency. In
transverse waves, frequency is the number of crests (or
troughs) that pass through a point in one second. In
longitudinal waves, frequency is the number of
compressions (or rarefactions) that pass through a point
in one second. The SI unit of frequency is hertz (Hz),
which is equal to 1 cycle per second.
Wavelength: the distance between the same points on successive waves (meters)
Time Period (T) : The time period of the oscillation of the particles in the medium is the time period of the wave and
is depicted in the Figure. It is denoted by the symbol T. The frequency of a wave is the reciprocal of the time period,
i.e. f = 1/T.
Amplitude (A): The amplitude of the wave is equal to the maximum positive displacement of the particles from their
mean position. Thus, the amplitude of the wave is the same as the amplitude of the oscillating particles.
𝝀
The wave speed is given by 𝑽 = Since, the frequency f of a wave is the reciprocal of
𝑻 𝑽 = 𝒇𝝀
its period T, the above equation can also be written as
 Classification of Waves
Plane waves are very often considered in wave optics as well as in other areas where waves play a role. They are
the kind of waves with the simplest geometric form and mathematical description. By definition, they have plane
wavefronts: at any moment of time, the locations of constant phase are planes. Plane waves are satisfying wave
equations in homogeneous media or in free space; therefore, one can say that plane waves are free-space modes.

When we see wave motion as a series of crests and troughs

we are in fact observing the vibrational motion of the
individual oscillators in the medium, and in particular all
of those oscillators in a plane of the medium which, at the
instant of observation, have the same phase in their
vibrations.
time

Sinusoidal Plane Waves

Same phase for all the oscillating
particles in the same plane
 Classification of Waves: Based on Dimensionality

✓ One Dimensional (1-D) Waves

Example: Wave on a string

✓ Two Dimensional (2-D) Waves

Example: Surface of water

✓ Three Dimensional (3-D) Waves

Example: Sounds from a bell

 Classification of Waves: Based on Dimensionality
✓ Two Dimensional (2-D) Waves
✓ This kind of waves can move around the corners
Examples: Water surface waves are visible 2D waves;

✓ Rayleigh waves is also an example of 2D waves

❖ Rayleigh waves occur on the surface of elastic media

❖ Rayleigh waves are formed when the particle motion is a

combination of both longitudinal and transverse vibration giving
rise to an elliptical retrograde motion in the vertical plane along
the direction of travel.
 Classification of Waves: Based on Dimensionality
✓ Three Dimensional (3-D) Waves
❖ If a disturbance occurs at a point in space, then it propagates in the three spatial directions, the wave
fronts being closed surfaces, spherical, elliptical or of some other type.

Spherical waves: Cylindrical waves:

When the source is point and the medium in which the three- When the initial disturbance is distributed over a
dimensional wave propagates is homogeneous and isotropic (its straight line, then the wave propagates in the radial
properties do not change according to the direction), then the wave direction perpendicular to that line, filling the
fronts are spheres concentric to the point where the initial surrounding three-dimensional space with cylindrical
disturbance occurred. wave fronts.
Cylindrical wavefront

Source of light

A wavefront is the locus of points (wavelets) having the same phase of oscillations
A line perpendicular to a wavefront is called a “Ray”.
 Classification of Waves: Based on Dimensionality

✓ Three Dimensional (3-D) Waves: Examples

Seismic waves Sounds produced by tuning fork

 Classification of Waves: Based on Dimensionality
Diaphragm Walls/Piles
✓ Three Dimensional (3-D) Waves
❖ Waves traveling in diaphragm walls or piles include different clusters
of waves, usually named guided waves.

❖ Guided waves are mechanical stress waves that propagate contained within the
structural boundaries of pipes or plates with wavelengths that are comparable to
the thickness dimensions of the pipe or plate. Guided waves are used in rapid
testing or Screening tools to detect, locate and classify corrosion defects.

❖ These three-dimensional (3-D) wave clusters arise from the incidences and reflections of a variety of compression, shear,
and surface waves along the boundaries of foundation structures.
❖ The wave velocity is a function of frequency, and the displacement magnitudes vary along the wall or pile cross-section.

❖ A three-dimensional wave propagating in a traction-free plate typically is

called Rayleigh-Lamb waves (or Lamb waves).

❖ A panel extends infinitely in the y and z directions and has

thickness 2b in the x direction, as shown in the Figure.
❖ The key physical property of three-dimensional waves is group
velocity
Cs: Shear wave velocity https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242100387_An_Experimen
Cg: Group velocity tal_Research_on_Threedimensional_Waves_in_a_Concrete_Panel
 Simple Harmonic Motion/Oscillator

Sinusoidal displacement of simple harmonic oscillator with time, showing variation of starting
point in cycle in terms of phase angle φ

Displacement in SHM:
𝑥 = asin(ω𝑡 + Φ)
Where “a” is the amplitude; “ω” angular frequency; “φ” phase constant

The maximum value of sin (ωt+φ) is unity so the constant “a” is the maximum value of
x, known as the amplitude of displacement. The limiting values of sin (ωt+φ) are ±1 so
the system will oscillate between the values of x = ± a.
** The word “phase” is used to describe a specific location within a given cycle of a
periodic wave.