WAVE PATTERNS IN DISPERSIVE MEDIA.
Abstract
A comparison is made between wave patterns in dispersive and nondispersive media on the basis of the interference patterns of two sine waves which are of equal amplitude and have very nearly the same frequency. It is shown that for a dispersive medium the number of individual oscillations found between successive group maxima for a wave pattern considered at an instant of time is not the same as that found between successive group maxima for the wave pattern considered at one location. In the limit that the component frequencies approach one and the same value, a comparison of the snapshot with the corresponding sample at a single location shows that there is a factor of one-half for deep water gravity waves, a factor of two-thirds for capillary water waves, and a factor of two for the flexural waves of an elastic rod. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0466487
Entities
People
- J. Ernest Breeding Jr.