Sound, pulses, and wave transport

Relate oscillatory motion to wave equations, acoustic impedance, dispersion, wave packets, and the physical transport of energy.

10 published lessons1 module290 min of guided study
  1. 01
    Sound, pulses, and wave transportcore · 10 lessons

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Sound, pulses, and wave transport

Relate oscillatory motion to wave equations, acoustic impedance, dispersion, wave packets, and the physical transport of energy.

  1. 01

    Derive the linear acoustic equations

    Connect compression, pressure gradients, and inertia to the small-amplitude sound-wave equation.

    29 min
  2. 02

    Sound speed measures a material response

    Choose the correct thermodynamic compressibility and compare stiffness with density.

    29 min
  3. 03

    Pressure, particle velocity, and acoustic power

    Calculate active intensity using amplitude conventions and the pressure–velocity phase difference.

    29 min
  4. 04

    Match sound at a material interface

    Derive pressure-amplitude coefficients and check energy conservation at a lossless normal-incidence boundary.

    29 min
  5. 05

    Find the sound modes of an ideal pipe

    Use pressure and particle-velocity boundary conditions to determine pipe resonances and their limits.

    29 min
  6. 06

    Separate carrier speed from envelope speed

    Derive narrow-band group velocity and identify when a pulse spreads or an envelope interpretation fails.

    29 min
  7. 07

    Predict where a wave packet contributes

    Use constructive phase accumulation and stationary-phase asymptotics to connect spectra with observed packets.

    29 min
  8. 08

    Calculate Doppler shifts relative to the medium

    Track moving emission and reception points to obtain the classical acoustic Doppler formula with clear signs.

    29 min
  9. 09

    See why a smooth wave can steepen into a shock

    Follow amplitude-dependent characteristics, estimate their first crossing, and identify the physics missing from a multivalued solution.

    29 min
  10. 10

    Read the gravity–capillary dispersion relation

    Compare gravity, surface tension, and depth to determine surface-wave phase and group speeds.

    29 min
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