Definition:Harmonic Wave/Period
< Definition:Harmonic Wave(Redirected from Definition:Period of Harmonic Wave)
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Definition
Let $\phi$ be a harmonic wave expressed as:
- $\forall x, t \in \R: \map \phi {x, t} = a \map \cos {\omega \paren {x - c t} }$
The period $\tau$ of $\phi$ is the time taken for one complete wavelength of $\phi$ to pass an arbitrary point on the $x$-axis.
Also see
- Period of Harmonic Wave: this period is shown to be $\dfrac \lambda c$, where $\lambda$ is the wavelength of $\phi$
Sources
- 1955: C.A. Coulson: Waves (7th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {I}$: The Equation of Wave Motion: $\S 3$