Cornell University

Department of Physics

Phys 214 October 15, 2003

Waves, Optics, and Particles, Fall 2003

Homework Assignment # 7

(Due Thursday, October 23 at 5:00pm sharp.)

Agenda and readings for the weeks of October 20:

Skills to be mastered:

• identifying traveling wave solutions $f(x - ct)$ and $g(x + ct)$ picking out the velocity;

• understanding superposition of both displacements and velocities for combinations of left and right pulses.

• using the general solution $f(x - ct) + g(x + ct)$ of the wave equation to find particular solutions;

• finding resulting time history (snapshots at later times, particle histories, velocity distributions) from given initial conditions.

• finding solutions during and after reflection of pulses from fixed, free, and other boundary conditions;

• finding solutions during and after reflection and transmission of pulses from changes in medium.

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 15, 10/21 (Tue): Two slit interference pattern
  Readings: LN ``Wave Phenomena II: Interference,'' Sec. 3.2; YF 37-3, 37-4.

• Lec 16, 10/23 (Thu): N slit interference pattern
  Readings: LN ``Wave Phenomena II: Interference,'' Sec. 3.3; YF 38-5 (especially part called ``several slits'').

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