Visible Light and the Eye’s Response
As mentioned in the first section of Lesson 2, our eyes are sensitive to a very narrow band of frequencies within the enormous range of frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. This…
July 29, 2021
The Electromagnetic and Visible Spectra As discussed in Unit 10 of The Physics Classroom Tutorial, electromagnetic waves are waves that are capable of traveling through a vacuum. Unlike mechanical waves that require a medium in…
Thin Film Interference
The emphasis of Lesson 1 of this unit is to present some evidence that has historically supported the view that light behaves as a wave. The reflection, refraction and diffraction of…
Two Point Source Interference
Wave interference is a phenomenon that occurs when two waves meet while traveling along the same medium. The interference of waves causes the medium to take on a shape that results from the…
Light Waves and Color
How Do We Know Light is a Wave? Wavelike Behaviors of Light An age-old debate that has persisted among scientists is related to the question, "Is light a wave or a stream…
Closed-End Air Columns
In the previous part of Lesson 5, the formation of a standing wave patterns in an open-end instrument was discussed. The mathematics of the harmonic frequencies associated with such standing wave…
Open-End Air Columns
Many musical instruments consist of an air column enclosed inside of a hollow metal tube. Though the metal tube may be more than a meter in length, it is often…
Guitar Strings
A guitar string has a number of frequencies at which it will naturally vibrate. These natural frequencies are known as the harmonics of the guitar string. As mentioned earlier, the natural…
Physics of Musical Instruments
Resonance The goal of Unit 11 of The Physics Classroom Tutorial is to develop an understanding of the nature, properties, behavior, and mathematics of sound and to apply this understanding to…
Fundamental Frequency and Harmonics
Previously in Lesson 4, it was mentioned that when an object is forced into resonance vibrations at one of its natural frequencies, it vibrates in a manner such that a standing wave…
