Cornell University

Department of Physics

Phys 214 September 3, 2003

Waves, Optics, and Particles, Fall 2003

Homework Assignment # 2

(Due Thursday, September 11 at 5:00pm sharp.)

Agenda and readings for the week of September 15:

Skills to be mastered:

• differentiating between the Equation of Motion and a solution of it ;

• verifying a general solution;

• finding particular solutions given initial conditions;

• determining the complex amplitude from the initial conditions for a simple harmonic oscillator;

• determining the (real) amplitude and the initial phase from the complex amplitude;

• using the complex representation to solve differential equations.

Lectures and Readings:

Readings marked YF are from the text Young and Freedman, University Physics, 10th edition. Readings marked LN are from the course lecture notes to be found at http://www.muchomas.lassp.cornell.edu/P214.

• Lec 4, 09/09 (Tue): Damped, driven oscillator; resonance.
  Readings: LN ``Simple Harmonic Motion,'' Sec. 6; YF 13.8

• Lec 5, 09/11 (Thu): Wave equation for the string; standing waves.
  Readings: LN `` Intro to Waves: Waves on a String and Standing Waves,'' Sec. 1-4.3.1; YF 19-1, 19-2, 19-3, 19-4.

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