Can one define wavefronts for waves travelling on a stretched string?
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If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
newtonian-mechanics classical-mechanics waves
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
newtonian-mechanics classical-mechanics waves
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
newtonian-mechanics classical-mechanics waves
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
$endgroup$
If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
newtonian-mechanics classical-mechanics waves
newtonian-mechanics classical-mechanics waves
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
asked Mar 25 at 15:18
LuciferLucifer
657
657
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
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If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
In general, a wavefront is defined as a connected set of points in a wave that are all at the same phase at a given time (usually at the phase corresponding to the maximum displacement.) For a wave traveling in 1-D, the points at which the string is at the same phase are disconnected from each other; so in some sense, each wavefront consists of a single point.
This actually makes sense if you think about it. For a wave traveling in 3-D, the wavefronts are two-dimensional surfaces; for a wave traveling in 2-D, the wavefronts are one-dimensional curves; and so for a wave traveling in 1-D, the wavefronts are zero-dimensional points.
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
Sure thing. You have two independent transverse polarizations; just set up a wave where these two polarizations are 90° out of phase with each other. The result would be a wave that looks like a helix propagating down the string. The animation from Wikipedia below was created with electric fields in a circularly polarized light wave in mind; but the vectors in the animation could equally well represent the displacement of each point of the string from its equilibrium position.
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
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I like this page's description as well, nice answer-- made me go out and learn more about that image.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 25 at 17:27
add a comment |
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$begingroup$
If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
In general, a wavefront is defined as a connected set of points in a wave that are all at the same phase at a given time (usually at the phase corresponding to the maximum displacement.) For a wave traveling in 1-D, the points at which the string is at the same phase are disconnected from each other; so in some sense, each wavefront consists of a single point.
This actually makes sense if you think about it. For a wave traveling in 3-D, the wavefronts are two-dimensional surfaces; for a wave traveling in 2-D, the wavefronts are one-dimensional curves; and so for a wave traveling in 1-D, the wavefronts are zero-dimensional points.
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
Sure thing. You have two independent transverse polarizations; just set up a wave where these two polarizations are 90° out of phase with each other. The result would be a wave that looks like a helix propagating down the string. The animation from Wikipedia below was created with electric fields in a circularly polarized light wave in mind; but the vectors in the animation could equally well represent the displacement of each point of the string from its equilibrium position.
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I like this page's description as well, nice answer-- made me go out and learn more about that image.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 25 at 17:27
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
In general, a wavefront is defined as a connected set of points in a wave that are all at the same phase at a given time (usually at the phase corresponding to the maximum displacement.) For a wave traveling in 1-D, the points at which the string is at the same phase are disconnected from each other; so in some sense, each wavefront consists of a single point.
This actually makes sense if you think about it. For a wave traveling in 3-D, the wavefronts are two-dimensional surfaces; for a wave traveling in 2-D, the wavefronts are one-dimensional curves; and so for a wave traveling in 1-D, the wavefronts are zero-dimensional points.
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
Sure thing. You have two independent transverse polarizations; just set up a wave where these two polarizations are 90° out of phase with each other. The result would be a wave that looks like a helix propagating down the string. The animation from Wikipedia below was created with electric fields in a circularly polarized light wave in mind; but the vectors in the animation could equally well represent the displacement of each point of the string from its equilibrium position.
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I like this page's description as well, nice answer-- made me go out and learn more about that image.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 25 at 17:27
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
In general, a wavefront is defined as a connected set of points in a wave that are all at the same phase at a given time (usually at the phase corresponding to the maximum displacement.) For a wave traveling in 1-D, the points at which the string is at the same phase are disconnected from each other; so in some sense, each wavefront consists of a single point.
This actually makes sense if you think about it. For a wave traveling in 3-D, the wavefronts are two-dimensional surfaces; for a wave traveling in 2-D, the wavefronts are one-dimensional curves; and so for a wave traveling in 1-D, the wavefronts are zero-dimensional points.
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
Sure thing. You have two independent transverse polarizations; just set up a wave where these two polarizations are 90° out of phase with each other. The result would be a wave that looks like a helix propagating down the string. The animation from Wikipedia below was created with electric fields in a circularly polarized light wave in mind; but the vectors in the animation could equally well represent the displacement of each point of the string from its equilibrium position.
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
$endgroup$
If I have a wave on a string, can any wavefront be defined for such a wave?
In general, a wavefront is defined as a connected set of points in a wave that are all at the same phase at a given time (usually at the phase corresponding to the maximum displacement.) For a wave traveling in 1-D, the points at which the string is at the same phase are disconnected from each other; so in some sense, each wavefront consists of a single point.
This actually makes sense if you think about it. For a wave traveling in 3-D, the wavefronts are two-dimensional surfaces; for a wave traveling in 2-D, the wavefronts are one-dimensional curves; and so for a wave traveling in 1-D, the wavefronts are zero-dimensional points.
And also is it possible to have circularly polarized string waves?
Sure thing. You have two independent transverse polarizations; just set up a wave where these two polarizations are 90° out of phase with each other. The result would be a wave that looks like a helix propagating down the string. The animation from Wikipedia below was created with electric fields in a circularly polarized light wave in mind; but the vectors in the animation could equally well represent the displacement of each point of the string from its equilibrium position.
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
answered Mar 25 at 15:46
Michael SeifertMichael Seifert
15.8k22858
15.8k22858
$begingroup$
I like this page's description as well, nice answer-- made me go out and learn more about that image.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 25 at 17:27
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I like this page's description as well, nice answer-- made me go out and learn more about that image.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 25 at 17:27
$begingroup$
I like this page's description as well, nice answer-- made me go out and learn more about that image.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 25 at 17:27
$begingroup$
I like this page's description as well, nice answer-- made me go out and learn more about that image.
$endgroup$
– Magic Octopus Urn
Mar 25 at 17:27
add a comment |
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