Waves and Modern Physics

Interesting Articles on Waves

• Good Vibrations

by Stephen Cohen

Online Resources by Topic

• active figures in Serway textbook (only work in IE)
• minutephysics youtube channel

Oscillations & SHM

Textbook

• Vol 1 - Chapter 15: Oscillations

Tools

• online Trigonometric Graphing

Videos

• Walter Lewin Showing how SHM Creates a Sine Curve

  This video shows Walter Lewin, of MIT, creating a sine curve using a vertical mass-spring system and a can of spray paint.

• Another video showing how SHM Creates a Sine Curve using spray paint
• SHM: Khan Academy video: Introduction to Harmonic Motion

  Khan Academy has thousands of videos. The author generally does a great job, and you're able to do an instant replay any time you'd like. Many of the earlier topics (especially in math) have sample problems you can try; it's sort of like webwork because you get instant feedback, but you don't get graded on these ones. Most videos have associated comments and questions which can also help with your understanding.

• SHM - Introduction (Flipping Physics)
• How to solve SHM problems in a mass-spring system (The Organic Chemistry Tutor)
• When is a pendulum in SHM (Flipping Physics)
• Comparing pendulum to spring SHM (Science Shorts)
• Adjusting time in a pendulum clock
• The mechanics of a pendulum clock (not part of NYC, but maybe interesting)
• SHM and Uniform Circular motion (Flipping Physics)
• How to find multiple solutions of arcsin
• How to find multiple solutions of arccos

Other ressources

• Graphs of the Trigonometric Functions
• An applet to show how phase shift is related to the initial position
• Physclips: Simple Harmonic Motion

  At UNSW, they introduce SHM during their mechanics course. This module gives a nice introduction to SHM, and the last part (4.4) also describes some neat applications of SHM - many of which we discuss later in this course.

• Hooke's Law: Great animation demonstrating Hooke's Law
• Simple Harmonic Motion and Uniform Circular Motion
• Damped and Undamped SHM: Explanation of how to program a Flash demonstration

  This site is intended as a tutorial on how to make flash physics demos, but it can also be helpful for students because it also lays out the physics models required to properly set up the animations.

• phase shift between two waveforms
• Damped oscillation applet
• Simple Harmonic Motion: Nice animations from The University of Saltford

  This site has a wealth of information on lots of related topics. It's worthwhile to spend some time playing around here.

• Vibrations & Periodic Motion: the Physics Classroom

  Here's another perspective on similar topics. This site is especially nice because quick sample problems are embedded into the explanations so you can quickly test your understanding.

Mechanical Waves

• Intro to Waves

  A visual introducton to the cocept of wave as a disturbance passing through a medium.

• Transverse and Longitudnal Waves
• PhET Sound and Waves Simulations

  These simulations offer a fantastic virtual laboratory.

• Acoustics and Vibration Animations from Penn State Acoustics

  These animations, and the explanations, give a great introduction to mechanical waves.

• Phasors

  This page has a very nice animation relating the sine wave to the unit circle - an important part of understanding phase.

• wave demonstration

  This a youtube demonstration for transverse wave

• a list of General Physics Animations
• oPhysics: Interactive Physics Simulations
• another java applet about transverse wave
• standing wave applet
• Phasor Diagrams

  This site also has nice animations for phase. Just be warned that the explanations further down the page are aimed at Electricity and Magnetism.

• Wikipedia's Page on Phasors

  This has a great animation showing how phasors can be added vectorially (it's about halfway down the page).

• Physclips Interference and Consonance

  This site has some great video explanations. The phasor video even adds waves with different frequencies as a lead-in to a discussion of beats.

• Physclips Standing Waves

• Great explanations and demonstrations of standing waves of all sorts.

Sound

• Interactive Frequency Chart - Independent Recording Network

  This chart compares the fundamental frequencies of many different musical instruments.

• audiable frequency
• Animation shows displacement node and pressure node of a standing wave in a pipe
• Open vs Closed pipes (Flutes vs Clarinets)
• Physclips: Standing Waves in Pipes - Musical Instruments (UNSW)
• Physclips: Doppler Effect (UNSW)
• Youtube video showing the shock wave of a supersonic jet plane
• superposition of two waves
• Beat simulation1
• Beat simulation2
• Beat from physclips
• A widget allows you to investigate the effect of the frequencies of two intefering waves upon the beat pattern.
• droppler effect video
  
• Wavefronts for Moving Source
• Big Bang Theory Style

Geometrical Optics, Lenses, and Optical Instruments

Textbook

• Vol 3 - Chapter 2.4: Thin Lenses
• Vol 3 - Chapter 2.5: The eye

Videos

• Converging and Diverging Lenses
• Finding the images of thin lenses using ray tracing
• Using the thin lens equation
• Multiple-Lens System Example
• Human eyes
• Video: Calculating the diopters of glasses for Myopia
• Video: Calculating the diopters of reading glasses

Other

• a clip on human eyes
• physics classroom-the eye
• introduction about lens
• A reading material for optical instruments
• Ray Optics
• Refractive errors

Wave Optics

• the electromagnetic spectrum
• Youtube video on interference in water tank
• MITvideo on sound wave interference
• superposition of two sin waves
• thin film interference
• a simulation showing single/multiple slit diffraction/interference
• Diffraction demonstrations
• diffration demonstrations (circular apertures )
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Special Relativity

Textbook

• Vol 3 - Chapter 5.1-5.4: Time dilation and Length contraction
• Vol 3 - Chapter 5.8-5.9: Relativistic Momentum and Energy

Videos

• Crash Course Physics: Special Relativity
• Proper length and proper time: How to find them

Quantum Theory

• a youtube vedeo showing single electron double slit wave experiment
• Electron Diffraction
• Minutephysics on uncertainty principle
• introduction to quantum physics
• Black Bodies and Planck Explained
• Modern Physics: an overview of key themes as a concept map