Re: Waves

[Ludwik Kowalski <KowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

A mathematician would say that any function of x and t in which these two
variables appear together as z=x-v*t is a one-dimensional wave propagating
to the right along the x axis. For example:

            y=A*sin(x-v*t),  y=A*(x-v*t)^2  or  y=exp(x-v*t)

Each of them satisfies the differential wave equation. Neither energy nor
momentum appear in the definition. Note that y can be any quantity: the
displacement, pressure, E or B. Even the probability of finding a particle.

                                                                      Ludwik
Kowalski
Carl E. Mungan wrote:

> ...what is a wave? Maybe that's a good question to start with. Anyone care
> to take a crack? In my mind, I was counting pulses as waves - after all, you

> could Fourier compose many sinusoids to get a pulse. I am however ruling
> out standing waves - there does have to be a net energy transport, hence a
> traveling wave.