Publisher Description

This text considers waves the great unifying concept of physics. With minimal mathematics, it emphasizes the behavior common to specific phenomena-earthquake waves studied by seismologists; waves and ripples on oceans, lakes, and ponds; waves of sound that travel through the air; mechanical waves in stretched strings and in quartz crystals that can be used to control the frequency of radio transmitters; electromagnetic waves that constitute light, and that are radiated by radio transmitters and received by radio receivers; and the waves of probability employed in quantum mechanics to predict the behavior of electrons, atoms, and complex substances.Starting with a look at the strength and power of sinusoidal waves, author John R. Pierce explores wave media and modes, phase velocity and group velocity, vector and complex representation, energy and momentum, coupled modes and coupling between modes, polarization, diffraction, and radiation. References and an index appear at the end of the book.

Author Biography

John R. Pierce ist Emeritus f??r Ingenieurwissenschaften am California Institute of Technology, wo er seine akademische Laufbahn mit der Promotion begonnen hatte, bevor er an den Bell-Laboratorien anwendungsorientierte Forschung betrieb. Im Jahre 1963 wurde Pierce, Mitglied der amerikanischen und schwedischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, vom amerikanischen Pr??sidenten mit der National Medal of Science ausgezeichnet. Als Autor von Science-fiction-Romanen hat er sich - unter dem Pseudonym J. J. Coupling - einen Namen gemacht.

Long Description

This text considers waves the great unifying concept of physics. With minimal mathematics, it emphasizes the behavior common to phenomena such as earthquake waves, ocean waves, sound waves, and mechanical waves. Topics include velocity, vector and complex representation, energy and momentum, coupled modes, polarization, diffraction, and radiation. 1974 edition.

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