The Physics of Vibrations and Waves, 5th Edition

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471985430 ISBN 13: 9780471985433

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 1999

The main theme of this best-selling book is that the transmission of energy by wave propagation is fundamental to almost every branch of physics. Therefore, besides giving students a thorough grounding in the theory of wave and vibrations, the book also demonstrates the pattern and unity of a large part of physics. This new edition has been thoroughly revised with the help of Professor Lyle Roelofs of Haverford College, USA. As with earlier editions, there are large numbers of problems together with hints on how to solve them.

From the Back Cover:

The transmission of energy by wave propagation is fundamental to almost every branch of physics. Using a practical, applied approach, this book gives a solid grounding in the theory of waves, vibrations and optics, together with demonstrating the pattern and unity of a large part of physics. To aid comprehension a large number of problems at varying degrees of difficulty are given together with hints for solution. The 5th edition of The Physics of Vibrations and Waves features:

• new material on matrix applications to coupled oscillations, optical systems and multi-layer dielectric films;
• new sections on electromagnetic waves in the ionosphere and other plasmas, the laser cavity, and optical wave guides;
• extensive treatment of solitons, including their role in optical transmission lines, in collisionless shocks in space, in non-periodic lattices and their connection with Schrödingers equation.

The Physics of Vibrations and Waves should be read by students taking a first full course in vibration and waves across a variety of disciplines, especially physics, engineering and mathematics.

About the Author:

John Pain is a graduate of the United States Naval Aviation Academy, Florida, and of the Universities of St Andrews, London, and Aix Marseilles. He taught physics at Imperial College, London where his research interests were in shock waves and magnetohydrodynamics.