Wave interference and harmonic oscillation

In summary, when two waves with opposite phase interfere destructively, the energy is redistributed to other areas. In antireflection film, the reflection wave disappears because the energy is redirected into the medium. A simple harmonic oscillator can become non-harmonic when encountering non-linear elements, causing the energy to redistribute into other modes. This can occur in various situations, such as a guitar string being placed near a fret or a diode being placed across an LC resonator.
  • #1
einstein1921
76
0
1. when wave is destructive interference ,where is the energy? for example, two plane wave have opposite phase ,they will destructive interference completely,but where is the energy? in antireflection film, the reflection wave is disappear!why? where is the energy? where is the wave?
2.in what situation ,a simple harmonic oscillation can move non harmonic, and why?
anything would be highly appreciated!
 
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  • #2
To answer your second question, a simple harmonic oscillator can undergo 'damped' in the presence of frictional forces like drag.

There are varying degrees of damping including lightly, critically and heavily damped systems.
 
  • #3
einstein1921 said:
1. when wave is destructive interference ,where is the energy? for example, two plane wave have opposite phase ,they will destructive interference completely,but where is the energy? in antireflection film, the reflection wave is disappear!why? where is the energy? where is the wave?
2.in what situation ,a simple harmonic oscillation can move non harmonic, and why?
anything would be highly appreciated!

A very reasonable question. The energy is just 'somewhere else'. The total amount of energy / power will be the same but it has just been redistributed from the nulls / nodes to the peaks / anti-nodes.

This is a self contradiction if you don't qualify it a bit. A simple harmonic wave can propagate over a boundary into a medium that is not linear or can encounter a non linear element in a circuit and then it can become distorted. When a guitar string which is (mostly) oscillating at its fundamental is brought next to a fret, by lowering the bridge, then the restoring force is no longer proportional to the displacement (linear) and the energy in the standing wave will be redistributed into other modes - the string will buzz and the motion is no longer simple harmonic.
A diode placed across an LC resonator will change the simple sinusoid into a half sin wave, which will rapidly decay because the energy becomes dissipated. There are so many examples of this sort of effect.
 

Related to Wave interference and harmonic oscillation

What is wave interference?

Wave interference refers to the phenomenon where two or more waves meet and combine together. Depending on the type of interference, the resulting wave may have a greater or lesser amplitude, or may even cancel out completely.

How does wave interference occur?

Wave interference occurs when two or more waves with the same frequency and wavelength meet in the same location. The waves will either constructively interfere, meaning their amplitudes will add together, or destructively interfere, meaning their amplitudes will cancel each other out.

What is the difference between constructive and destructive interference?

Constructive interference occurs when two waves meet in phase, meaning their peaks and troughs align, resulting in a wave with a larger amplitude. Destructive interference occurs when two waves meet out of phase, meaning their peaks and troughs do not align, resulting in a wave with a smaller amplitude or even no amplitude at all.

What is harmonic oscillation?

Harmonic oscillation is a type of motion where a system, such as a pendulum or spring, vibrates back and forth around an equilibrium point. It is a periodic motion, meaning it repeats itself over time, and can be described by a sinusoidal function.

How is harmonic oscillation related to wave interference?

Harmonic oscillation is related to wave interference because both involve the concept of a wave. In harmonic oscillation, the wave is produced by the motion of a system, while in wave interference, the wave is produced by the interaction of multiple waves. Both can be described by a sinusoidal function and exhibit properties such as amplitude, frequency, and wavelength.

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