3/1/2017 BoundaryBehavior

BoundaryBehavior
BoundaryBehavior
Reflection,Refraction,andDiffraction
InterferenceofWaves
TheDopplerEffect

Asawavetravelsthroughamedium,itwilloftenreachtheendofthemediumandencounteran
obstacleorperhapsanothermediumthroughwhichitcouldtravel.Oneexampleofthishasalready
beenmentionedinLesson2.Asoundwaveisknowntoreflectoffcanyonwallsandotherobstaclesto
produceanecho.Asoundwavetravelingthroughairwithinacanyonreflectsoffthecanyonwalland
returnstoitsoriginalsource.Whataffectdoesreflectionhaveuponawave?Doesreflectionofawave
affectthespeedofthewave?Doesreflectionofawaveaffectthewavelengthandfrequencyofthe
wave?Doesreflectionofawaveaffecttheamplitudeofthewave?Ordoesreflectionaffectother
propertiesandcharacteristicsofawave'smotion?Thebehaviorofawave(orpulse)uponreachingthe
endofamediumisreferredtoasboundarybehavior.Whenonemediumends,anothermedium
beginstheinterfaceofthetwomediaisreferredtoastheboundaryandthebehaviorofawaveat
thatboundaryisdescribedasitsboundarybehavior.Thequestionsthatarelistedabovearethetypes
ofquestionsweseektoanswerwhenweinvestigatetheboundarybehaviorofwaves.

FixedEndReflection
Firstconsideranelasticropestretchedfromendtoend.Oneendwill
besecurelyattachedtoapoleonalabbenchwhiletheotherendwill
beheldinthehandinordertointroducepulsesintothemedium.
Becausetherightendoftheropeisattachedtoapole(whichis
attachedtoalabbench)(whichisattachedtothefloorthatis
attachedtothebuildingthatisattachedtotheEarth),the
last particle
oftheropewillbeunabletomovewhenadisturbancereachesit.Thisendoftheropeis
referredtoasafixedend.
Ifapulseisintroducedattheleftendoftherope,itwilltravelthroughtheropetowardstherightend
ofthemedium.Thispulseiscalledtheincidentpulsesinceitisincidenttowards(i.e.,approaching)
theboundarywiththepole.Whentheincidentpulsereachestheboundary,twothingsoccur:
Aportionoftheenergycarriedbythepulseisreflectedandreturnstowardstheleftendoftherope.
Thedisturbancethatreturnstotheleftafterbouncingoffthepoleisknownasthereflectedpulse.
Aportionoftheenergycarriedbythepulseistransmittedtothepole,causingthepoletovibrate.
Becausethevibrationsofthepolearenotvisiblyobvious,theenergytransmittedtoitisnottypically
discussed.Thefocusofthediscussionwillbeonthereflectedpulse.Whatcharacteristicsandproperties
coulddescribeitsmotion?
Whenoneobservesthereflectedpulseoffthefixedend,thereareseveralnotableobservations.First
thereflectedpulseisinverted.Thatis,ifanupwarddisplacedpulseisincidenttowardsafixedend
boundary,itwillreflectandreturnasadownwarddisplacedpulse.Similarly,ifadownwarddisplaced
pulseisincidenttowardsafixedendboundary,itwillreflectandreturnasanupwarddisplacedpulse.

Theinversionofthereflectedpulsecanbeexplainedbyreturningtoourconceptionsofthenatureofa
mechanicalwave.Whenacrestreachestheendofamedium("mediumA"),thelastparticleofthe
mediumAreceivesanupwarddisplacement.Thisparticleisattachedtothefirstparticleoftheother
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medium("mediumB")ontheothersideoftheboundary.AsthelastparticleofmediumApullsupwards
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onthefirstparticleofmediumB,thefirstparticleofmediumBpullsdownwardsonthelastparticleof
mediumA.ThisismerelyNewton'sthirdlawofactionreaction.Foreveryaction,thereisanequaland
oppositereaction.TheupwardpullonthefirstparticleofmediumBhaslittleeffectuponthisparticle
duetothelargemassofthepoleandthelabbenchtowhichitisattached.Theeffectofthedownward
pullonthelastparticleofmediumA(apullthatisinturntransmittedtotheotherparticles)resultsin
causingtheupwarddisplacementtobecomeadownwarddisplacement.Theupwarddisplacedincident
pulsethusreturnsasadownwarddisplacedreflectedpulse.Itisimportanttonotethatitis
the heaviness
ofthepoleandthelabbenchrelativetotheropethatcausestheropetobecome
inverteduponinteractingwiththewall.Whentwomediainteractbyexertingpushesandpullsupon
eachother,themostmassivemedium winstheinteraction
.Justlikeinarmwrestling,themediumthat
losesreceivesachangeinitsstateofmotion.
Othernotablecharacteristicsofthereflectedpulseinclude:
Thespeedofthereflectedpulseisthesameasthespeedoftheincidentpulse.
Thewavelengthofthereflectedpulseisthesameasthewavelengthoftheincidentpulse.
Theamplitudeofthereflectedpulseislessthantheamplitudeoftheincidentpulse.
Ofcourse,itisnotsurprisingthatthespeedoftheincidentandreflectedpulseareidenticalsincethe
twopulsesaretravelinginthesamemedium.Sincethespeedofawave(orpulse)isdependentupon
themediumthroughwhichittravels,twopulsesinthesamemediumwillhavethesamespeed.A
similarlineofreasoningexplainswhytheincidentandreflectedpulseshavethesamewavelength.
Everyparticlewithintheropewillhavethesamefrequency.Beingconnectedtooneanother,theymust
vibrateatthesamefrequency.Sincethewavelengthofawavedependsuponthefrequencyandthe
speed,twowaveshavingthesamefrequencyandthesamespeedmustalsohavethesame
wavelength.Finally,theamplitudeofthereflectedpulseislessthantheamplitudeoftheincidentpulse
sincesomeoftheenergyofthepulsewastransmittedintothepoleattheboundary.Thereflected
pulseiscarryinglessenergyawayfromtheboundarycomparedtotheenergythattheincidentpulse
carriedtowardstheboundary.Sincetheamplitudeofapulseisindicativeoftheenergycarriedbythe
pulse,thereflectedpulsehasasmalleramplitudethantheincidentpulse.

FlickrPhysicsPhoto
Thissequencephotographyphotoshowsanupwarddisplacedpulsetravelingfromtheleftendofa
wavemachinetowardstherightend.Therightendisheldtightlyitisafixedend.Thewavereflectsoff
thisfixedendandreturnsasadownwarddisplacedpulse.Reflectionoffafixedendresultsin inversion
.

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3/1/2017 BoundaryBehavior

FreeEndReflection
Nowconsiderwhatwouldhappeniftheendoftheropewerefreeto
move.Insteadofbeingsecurelyattachedtoalabpole,supposeitis
attachedtoaringthatislooselyfitaroundthepole.Becausethe
rightendoftheropeisnolongersecuredtothepole,the
last particle
oftheropewillbeabletomovewhenadisturbance
reachesit.Thisendoftheropeisreferredtoasafreeend.
Oncemoreifapulseisintroducedattheleftendoftherope,itwilltravelthroughtheropetowardsthe
rightendofthemedium.Whentheincidentpulsereachestheendofthemedium,thelastparticleof
theropecannolongerinteractwiththefirstparticleofthepole.Sincetheropeandpolearenolonger
attachedandinterconnected,theywillslidepasteachother.Sowhenacrestreachestheendofthe
rope,thelastparticleoftheropereceivesthesameupwarddisplacementonlynowthereisno
adjoiningparticletopulldownwarduponthelastparticleoftheropetocauseittobeinverted.The
resultisthatthereflectedpulseisnotinverted.Whenanupwarddisplacedpulseisincidentuponafree
end,itreturnsasanupwarddisplacedpulseafterreflection.Andwhenadownwarddisplacedpulseis
incidentuponafreeend,itreturnsasadownwarddisplacedpulseafterreflection.Inversionisnot
observedinfreeendreflection.

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