Wave mechanics

From apimba
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Introduction

Basic Equation

The basic equation of wave mechanics is a function that describes the position of a particle as a function of time, where the function is wavelike, such as sine or cosine:

y(x,t) = Ψ = Asin(kx - ωt)

[3d_plot_of_y_and_x_and_t.png]

A = amplitude

k = 2π/λ

w = 2πf

So if given the amplitude, wavelength and frequency of a particle that was behaving in a sine fashion, its position could be calculated at a particular time on the t axis using this equation. It would also give the particle position as a function of time at a particular distance on the x axis. Both plots F vs. x and F vs. t would be cosine plots.