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Envelope (waves) In physics and engineering, the envelope of an oscillating signal is a smooth curve outlining its extremes. [1] The envelope thus generalizes the concept of a constant amplitude into an instantaneous amplitude. The figure illustrates a modulated sine wave varying between an upper envelope and a lower envelope.
A standing wave, also known as a stationary wave, is a wave whose envelope remains in a constant position. This phenomenon arises as a result of interference between two waves traveling in opposite directions. The sum of two counter-propagating waves (of equal amplitude and frequency) creates a standing wave. Standing waves commonly arise when ...
Wave packet. A looped animation of a wave packet propagating without dispersion: the envelope is maintained even as the phase changes. In physics, a wave packet (also known as a wave train or wave group) is a short burst of localized wave action that travels as a unit, outlined by an envelope. A wave packet can be analyzed into, or can be ...
The phase velocity is the rate at which the phase of the wave propagates in space. The group velocity is the rate at which the wave envelope, i.e. the changes in amplitude, propagates. The wave envelope is the profile of the wave amplitudes; all transverse displacements are bound by the envelope profile.
A wave packet has an envelope that describes the overall amplitude of the wave; within the envelope, the distance between adjacent peaks or troughs is sometimes called a local wavelength. [21] [22] An example is shown in the figure. In general, the envelope of the wave packet moves at a speed different from the constituent waves. [23]
Two-frequency beats of a non-dispersive transverse wave. Since the wave is non-dispersive, phase and group velocities are equal. For an ideal string, the dispersion relation can be written as =, where T is the tension force in the string, and μ is the string's mass per unit length. As for the case of electromagnetic waves in vacuum, ideal ...
Dispersion of gravity waves on a fluid surface. Phase and group velocity divided by shallow-water phase velocity √gh as a function of relative depth h / λ. Blue lines (A): phase velocity; Red lines (B): group velocity; Black dashed line (C): phase and group velocity √gh valid in shallow water.
The wave equation is a second-order linear partial differential equation for the description of waves or standing wave fields such as mechanical waves (e.g. water waves, sound waves and seismic waves) or electromagnetic waves (including light waves). It arises in fields like acoustics, electromagnetism, and fluid dynamics.