`color{blue} ✍️`If two wave pulses travelling in opposite directions cross each other, It turns out that wave pulses continue to retain their identities after they have crossed.
`color{blue} ✍️`However, during the time they overlap, the wave pattern is different from either of the pulses. Figure 15.9 shows the situation when two pulses of equal and opposite shapes move towards each other.
`color{blue} ✍️`When the pulses overlap, the resultant displacement is the algebraic sum of the displacement due to each pulse. This is known as the principle of superposition of waves. According to this principle, each pulse moves as if others are not present.
`color{blue} ✍️`The constituents of the medium therefore suffer displacement due to both and since displacements can be positive and negative, the net displacement is an algebraic sum of the two. Fig. 15.9 gives graphs of the wave shape at different times.
`color{brown} {"Note"}` the dramatic effect in the graph (c); the displacements due to the two pulses have exactly cancelled each other and there is zero displacement throughout.
`color{blue} ✍️`To put the principle of superposition mathematically, let `y_1 (x,t)` and `y_2 (x,t)` be the displacements due to two wave disturbances in the medium. If the waves arrive in a region simultaneously and therefore, overlap, the net displacement. y (x,t) is given by
`color{ blue} {y (x, t) = y_1(x, t) + y_2(x, t)}`
........................... (15.25)
`color{blue} ✍️`If we have two or more waves moving in the medium the resultant waveform is the sum of wave functions of individual waves. That is, if the wave functions of the moving waves are
`y_1 = f_1(x–vt)`,
`y_2 = f_2(x–vt)`,
..........
..........
`y_n = f_n (x–vt)`
`color{blue} ✍️`then the wave function describing the disturbance in the medium is
`y = f_1(x – vt)+ f_2(x – vt)+ ...+ fn(x – vt)`
`color{blue } {= sum_(i =1)^n f_i ( x - v t)}`
........................ (15.26)
`color{blue} ✍️`The principle of superposition is basic to the phenomenon of interference.
`color{blue} ✍️`For simplicity, consider two harmonic travelling waves on a stretched string, both with the same `ω` (angular frequens) and k (wave number), and, therefore, the same wavelength `λ`.
`color{blue} ✍️`Their wave speeds will be identical. Let us further assume that their amplitudes are equal and they are both travelling in the positive direction of x-axis. The waves only differ in their initial phase. According to Eq. (15.2), the two waves are described by the functions:
`color{blue } { y_1(x, t) = a sin (kx – ωt)}`
..........................(15.27)
and
`color{blue} {y_2(x, t) = a sin (kx – ωt + φ )}`
.....................(15.28)
`color{blue} "✍️ The net displacement is then, by the principle of superposition"` , given by
`color{blue} {y (x, t ) = a sin (kx – ωt) + a sin (kx – ωt + φ )}`
.........................(15.29)
`color {green} { = a [ 2 sin [ ((kx - omega t ) + ( kx - omega t + phi ) )/2 ] cos \ \ phi/2]}`
.................... (15.30)
`color{blue} ✍️`where we have used the familiar trignometric identity for `sin A + sin B` . We then have
`color {blue } {y( x ,t) = 2a cos \ \phi/2 sin ( kx - omega t + phi/2 )}`
....................(15.31)
`color{blue} ✍️`Eq. (15.31) is also a harmonic travelling wave in the positive direction of x-axis, with the same frequency and wave length. However, its initial phase angle is `phi/2`. The significant thing is that its amplitude is a function of the phase difference `φ` between the constituent two waves:
`color{blue} {A(φ) = 2a cos ½φ}`
.................. (15.32)
`color{blue} ✍️`For `φ = 0`, when the waves are in phase,
`color{blue} {y (x,t ) = 2a sin (kx - omega t)}`
.................. (15.33)
`color{blue} ✍️`i.e. the resultant wave has amplitude 2a, the largest possible value for A. For `phi = pi` ,
`color{blue} ✍️`the waves are completely, out of phase and the resultant wave has zero displacement everywhere at all times.
`color{blue} {y (x, t ) = 0}`
.................... (15.34)
`color{blue} ✍️`Eq. (15.33) refers to the so-called constructive interference of the two waves where the amplitudes add up in the resultant wave. Eq. (15.34) is the case of destructive intereference where the amplitudes subtract out in the resultant wave.
`color{blue} ✍️`Fig. 15.10 shows these two cases of interference of waves arising from the principle of superposition.
`color{blue} ✍️`If two wave pulses travelling in opposite directions cross each other, It turns out that wave pulses continue to retain their identities after they have crossed.
`color{blue} ✍️`However, during the time they overlap, the wave pattern is different from either of the pulses. Figure 15.9 shows the situation when two pulses of equal and opposite shapes move towards each other.
`color{blue} ✍️`When the pulses overlap, the resultant displacement is the algebraic sum of the displacement due to each pulse. This is known as the principle of superposition of waves. According to this principle, each pulse moves as if others are not present.
`color{blue} ✍️`The constituents of the medium therefore suffer displacement due to both and since displacements can be positive and negative, the net displacement is an algebraic sum of the two. Fig. 15.9 gives graphs of the wave shape at different times.
`color{brown} {"Note"}` the dramatic effect in the graph (c); the displacements due to the two pulses have exactly cancelled each other and there is zero displacement throughout.
`color{blue} ✍️`To put the principle of superposition mathematically, let `y_1 (x,t)` and `y_2 (x,t)` be the displacements due to two wave disturbances in the medium. If the waves arrive in a region simultaneously and therefore, overlap, the net displacement. y (x,t) is given by
`color{ blue} {y (x, t) = y_1(x, t) + y_2(x, t)}`
........................... (15.25)
`color{blue} ✍️`If we have two or more waves moving in the medium the resultant waveform is the sum of wave functions of individual waves. That is, if the wave functions of the moving waves are
`y_1 = f_1(x–vt)`,
`y_2 = f_2(x–vt)`,
..........
..........
`y_n = f_n (x–vt)`
`color{blue} ✍️`then the wave function describing the disturbance in the medium is
`y = f_1(x – vt)+ f_2(x – vt)+ ...+ fn(x – vt)`
`color{blue } {= sum_(i =1)^n f_i ( x - v t)}`
........................ (15.26)
`color{blue} ✍️`The principle of superposition is basic to the phenomenon of interference.
`color{blue} ✍️`For simplicity, consider two harmonic travelling waves on a stretched string, both with the same `ω` (angular frequens) and k (wave number), and, therefore, the same wavelength `λ`.
`color{blue} ✍️`Their wave speeds will be identical. Let us further assume that their amplitudes are equal and they are both travelling in the positive direction of x-axis. The waves only differ in their initial phase. According to Eq. (15.2), the two waves are described by the functions:
`color{blue } { y_1(x, t) = a sin (kx – ωt)}`
..........................(15.27)
and
`color{blue} {y_2(x, t) = a sin (kx – ωt + φ )}`
.....................(15.28)
`color{blue} "✍️ The net displacement is then, by the principle of superposition"` , given by
`color{blue} {y (x, t ) = a sin (kx – ωt) + a sin (kx – ωt + φ )}`
.........................(15.29)
`color {green} { = a [ 2 sin [ ((kx - omega t ) + ( kx - omega t + phi ) )/2 ] cos \ \ phi/2]}`
.................... (15.30)
`color{blue} ✍️`where we have used the familiar trignometric identity for `sin A + sin B` . We then have
`color {blue } {y( x ,t) = 2a cos \ \phi/2 sin ( kx - omega t + phi/2 )}`
....................(15.31)
`color{blue} ✍️`Eq. (15.31) is also a harmonic travelling wave in the positive direction of x-axis, with the same frequency and wave length. However, its initial phase angle is `phi/2`. The significant thing is that its amplitude is a function of the phase difference `φ` between the constituent two waves:
`color{blue} {A(φ) = 2a cos ½φ}`
.................. (15.32)
`color{blue} ✍️`For `φ = 0`, when the waves are in phase,
`color{blue} {y (x,t ) = 2a sin (kx - omega t)}`
.................. (15.33)
`color{blue} ✍️`i.e. the resultant wave has amplitude 2a, the largest possible value for A. For `phi = pi` ,
`color{blue} ✍️`the waves are completely, out of phase and the resultant wave has zero displacement everywhere at all times.
`color{blue} {y (x, t ) = 0}`
.................... (15.34)
`color{blue} ✍️`Eq. (15.33) refers to the so-called constructive interference of the two waves where the amplitudes add up in the resultant wave. Eq. (15.34) is the case of destructive intereference where the amplitudes subtract out in the resultant wave.
`color{blue} ✍️`Fig. 15.10 shows these two cases of interference of waves arising from the principle of superposition.