Julian L. Davis

The purpose of this volume is to present a clear and systematic account of the mathematical methods of wave phenomena in solids, gases, and water that will be readily accessible to physicists and engineers. The emphasis is on developing the necessary mathematical techniques, and on showing how these mathematical concepts can be effective in unifying the physics of wave propagation in a variety of physical settings: sound and shock waves in gases, water waves, and stress waves in solids. Nonlinear effects and asymptotic phenomena will be discussed. Wave propagation in continuous media (solid, liquid, or gas) has as its foundation the three basic conservation laws of physics: conservation of mass, momentum, and energy, which will be described in various sections of the book in their proper physical setting. These conservation laws are expressed either in the Lagrangian or the Eulerian representation depending on whether the boundaries are relatively fixed or moving. In any case, these laws of physics allow us to derive the "field equations" which are expressed as systems of partial differential equations. For wave propagation phenomena these equations are said to be "hyperbolic" and, in general, nonlinear in the sense of being "quasi linear" . We therefore attempt to determine the properties of a system of "quasi linear hyperbolic" partial differential equations which will allow us to calculate the displacement, velocity fields, etc.

Wave Propagation in Solids and Fluids

Earthquakes, a plucked string, ocean waves crashing on the beach, the sound waves that allow us to recognize known voices. Waves are everywhere, and the propagation and classical properties of these apparently disparate phenomena can be described by the same mathematical methods: variational calculus, characteristics theory, and caustics. Taking a medium-by-medium approach, Julian Davis explains the mathematics needed to understand wave propagation in inviscid and viscous fluids, elastic solids, viscoelastic solids, and thermoelastic media, including hyperbolic partial differential equations and characteristics theory, which makes possible geometric solutions to nonlinear wave problems. The result is a clear and unified treatment of wave propagation that makes a diverse body of mathematics accessible to engineers, physicists, and applied mathematicians engaged in research on elasticity, aerodynamics, and fluid mechanics. This book will particularly appeal to those working across specializations and those who seek the truly interdisciplinary understanding necessary to fully grasp waves and their behavior. By proceeding from concrete phenomena (e.g., the Doppler effect, the motion of sinusoidal waves, energy dissipation in viscous fluids, thermal stress) rather than abstract mathematical principles, Davis also creates a one-stop reference that will be prized by students of continuum mechanics and by mathematicians needing information on the physics of waves.

Mathematics of Wave Propagation

Govert Schilling

An astronomer probes the universe for the source of powerful explosions of radiation called gamma ray bursts, in a thoughtful study that probes the nature of GRBs and attempts to unravel the mystery of the phenomenon.

The Hunt for the Biggest Explosions in the Universe

Flash!

This is the second work of a set of two volumes on the phenomena of wave propagation in nonreacting and reacting media. The first, entitled Wave Propagation in Solids and Fluids (published by Springer-Verlag in 1988), deals with wave phenomena in nonreacting media (solids and fluids). This book is concerned with wave propagation in reacting media-specifically, in electro magnetic materials. Since these volumes were designed to be relatively self contained, we have taken the liberty of adapting some of the pertinent material, especially in the theory of hyperbolic partial differential equations (concerned with electromagnetic wave propagation), variational methods, and Hamilton-Jacobi theory, to the phenomena of electromagnetic waves. The purpose of this volume is similar to that of the first, except that here we are dealing with electromagnetic waves. We attempt to present a clear and systematic account of the mathematical methods of wave phenomena in electromagnetic materials that will be readily accessible to physicists and engineers. The emphasis is on developing the necessary mathematical tech niques, and on showing how these methods of mathematical physics can be effective in unifying the physics of wave propagation in electromagnetic media. Chapter 1 presents the theory of time-varying electromagnetic fields, which involves a discussion of Faraday's laws, Maxwell's equations, and their appli cations to electromagnetic wave propagation under a variety of conditions.

Julian L. Davis

About

Books

Join the club