Vibrations and Waves

Accessible, student-friendly textbook on a core subject in undergraduate physics courses, updated with more worked examples, exercises, and everyday problems

Emphasizing physical principles rather than mathematics, Vibrations and Waves, 2nd edition delivers a comprehensive and logical overview of the subject. Each topic begins with a discussion of the physical characteristics of the motion or system. The mathematics is kept as clear as possible and includes elegant mathematical descriptions where appropriate.

This book features many worked examples, frequently drawn from everyday life (e.g., why microwave ovens typically have rotating turntables), along with more cutting-edge ones. Each chapter includes problems ranging in difficulty from simple to challenging and provides hints for solving problems. This new edition has been updated with even more worked examples, exercises, and relations to everyday problems.

Vibrations and Waves discusses sample topics including:

Simple harmonic motion, covering displacement, velocity, acceleration, and the physics of small vibrations
The damped harmonic oscillator, covering light, leavy, and critical damping in its equation of motion
Traveling waves, covering the transport of energy by a wave, waves at discontinuities, and waves in two and three dimensions
The dispersion of waves, covering phase and group velocities and the superposition of waves in non-dispersive media
Interference and diffraction of waves, covering Young’s double-slit experiment and the Michelonson spectral interferometer

Vibrations and Waves is an essential textbook for all readers learning about waves and vibrations for the first time, either on their own or through an undergraduate or advanced undergraduate course.

Author Biography

George C. King is Emeritus Professor of Physics in the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Manchester, UK, and Fellow of the Institute of Physics. His research interests are the study of atoms and molecules using synchrotron radiation and electron impact excitation, and he is the author of over 200 published papers describing these studies. He has over 40 years teaching experience that includes lecturing a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.