Sound

02 Oct 2015

Wave function

Sound is described mathematically as a wave function. The wave function that defines it is in the notes, but the crucial components of it are:

• Amplitude, represented by an 'A'
• Frequency, represented by an 'f'
• Time, represented by a 't'
• The wave's phase, represented by a 'rho/arbitrary greek letter'

Phase

The phase of the wave is the distance from the wave's equilibrium position at the time of origin. (It's essentially a sort of distance shifter)

Other terms

THe oscilation of the molecules produces local density variations, and hence local pressure variations. These variations are what we interpret as sound.

Other forms of the ordinary wave equation

There are forms of the wave equation that also specify the maximum pressure, as found in the notes.