Physics 283, Vibrations and Waves: Spring 2024

This material can be found online at URL

http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys283/phys283.html

Outline for the course, class schedule, etc.

Scores on tests and overall

Lectures

• Week 1, Day A: No class today
• Week 1, Day B: Intro to the course, review of differential equations
• Week 1, Day C: Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)
• Week 2, Day A: SHM in different notation
• Week 2, Day B: SHM and energy
• Week 2, Day C: Damped HM
• Week 3, Day A: Forced HM and resonance
• Week 3, Day B: The "Q" factor of an oscillating system
• Week 3, Day C: Review and examples
• Week 4, Day A: Introduction to Fourier series
• Week 4, Day B: Fourier series: working through some examples
• Week 4, Day C: Fourier series in other notation
• Week 5, Day A: Combining frequencies to create pulses
• Week 5, Day B: Music and timbre or Review Day -- students' choice
  Practice questions for Test 1
• Week 5, Day C: (Feb 16) Test 1
  
  Solutions for Test 1
Correction of a mistake on "Q" made in review session
• Week 6, Day A: Coupled oscillators (I)
• Week 6, Day B: Coupled oscillators (II)
• Week 6, Day C: Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
• Week 7, Day A: Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors (II) and/or An example of coupled oscillators
• Week 7, Day B: A loosely coupled system
• Week 7, Day C: Many coupled oscillators
• Week 8, Day A: Oscillations inside molecules
• Week 8, Day B: Coupled oscillations --- with damping!
• Week 8, Day C: Review At Home Day
• Spring Break (Mar 10 - 16)
• Week 9, Day A: Vibrations on a string (discrete)
• Week 9, Day B: Dispersion
• Week 9, Day C: Waves on a vibrating string (continuous)
• Week 10, Day A: Longitudinal waves in a long, thin rod
• Week 10, Day B: Review Day
  Consider doing two practice problems.
• Week 10, Day C: (Mar 29) Test 2
  Solutions to Test 2
• Week 11, Day A: Travelling waves
• Week 11, Day B: Energy within and carried by a wave
• Week 11, Day C: Phase and group velocities
• Week 12, Day B: Eclipse Day
• Week 12, Day B: Reflection of waves at boundaries
• Week 12, Day C: Transmission of waves at boundaries
• Week 13, Day A: Impedance
• Week 13, Day B: Waves in 2-D
• Week 13, Day C: Waves in 3-D
• Week 14, Day A: Huygens' principle
• Week 14, Day B: Two-slit interference pattern
• Week 14, Day C: Single-slit interference (diffraction)
• Week 15, Day A: Diffraction demonstration and Review Day
• Final Exam: Wed, May 1: 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM, ROS-A310
  • Some practice problems for the final exam

Homework sets

In order to use the on-line homework system, you need to know your login name and your initial password. Your "login name" should be the same as your last name, but with lowercase letters only; something like richmond. Your initial password should be the final 4-digits of your student RIT student ID, so if your ID is 456781234, the initial password would be 1234. Include all zeroes: if your ID is 456780012, then your initial password will be 0012. You can change your password from the default after you log in for the first time.

0. Introduction to Webwork system due Friday, Jan 19, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 0
1. Simple Harmonic Motion due Friday, Jan 26, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 1
2. Damped Harmonic Motion due Friday, Feb 2, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 2
3. More damped, and forced, harmonic motion due Friday, Feb 9, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 3
4. Fourier series due Thursday, Feb 15, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 4
5. Coupled oscillators due Wed, Feb 28, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 5
6. More coupled oscillators due Fri, Mar 8, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 6
7. Strings and space due Thu, Mar 28, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 7
8. Waves, energy, power due Fri, Apr 12, at 5:00 PM.
   
   • Answers to Homework 8
9. Transmission and reflection of waves due Fri, Apr 19, at 5 PM.
   
   • Answers to Homework 9
10. Waves in 2-D and 3-D due Mon, Apr 29, at 5:00 PM.
    
    • Answers to Homework 10

Extra Credit Projects

The deadline for extra credit assignments is 5 PM, Mon, Apr 29. All work must be submitted to the instructor by this time to count towards your grade.

1. Maximum amplitude of a forced harmonic oscillator
2. Find the Fourier components of a periodic function
3. Make a graph showing the motion of a two-block, three-spring system
4. Build your own loosely coupled system
5. Measure the frequency of a plucked string
6. The resonant modes of a microwave oven

For more information:

• MIT teaches a similar course, and makes its materials available to everyone at
  • Physics III: Vibrations and Waves (2016 version)
• Good material on Fourier series can be found at
  • Erik Cheever's pages at Swarthmore
• Want to compute eigenvalues with your TI-84 calculator? Mr. Muskopf provides the following information:

  The download for the program itself is here, https://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/443/44391.html The program calculates the eigen values and vectors for the matrix A in the calculator, you do have to run it multiple times because it only gets 1 pair of eigen value and vector at a time. It would be good to note that the program doesn't always give the most reasonable answers for the eigen vectors, but the ratios are still correct, so thats what counts.

  To actually install it on your calculator you need a link cable to connect the calculator to the computer, this page gives instructions on how to put programs on a calculator: https://www.ticalc.org/basics/linking/index.html#1 I do have a link cable and the software to use it, so if anyone sees me in the PAC or after class they should feel free to ask for help.

This page maintained by Michael Richmond.