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A Student's Guide #3
A Student's Guide to Waves
Waves are an important topic in the fields of mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum theory, but many students struggle with the mathematical aspects. Written to complement course textbooks, this book focuses on the topics that students find most difficult. Retaining the highly popular approach used in Fleisch's other Student's Guides, the book uses plain language to explain fundamental ideas in a simple and clear way. Exercises and fully-worked examples help readers test their understanding of the concepts, making this an ideal book for undergraduates in physics and engineering trying to get to grips with this challenging subject. The book is supported by a suite of online resources available at www.cambridge.org/9781107643260. These include interactive solutions for every exercise and problem in the text and a series of video podcasts in which the authors explain the important concepts of every section of the book.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2015
61 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Fleisch
8 books43 followersProf. Dan Fleisch short biography
Dan Fleisch is a Professor in the Department of Physics
at Wittenberg University, where he specializes in
electromagnetics and space physics. He is the author of
the internationally best-selling book A Student’s Guide to
Maxwell’s Equations, published by Cambridge
University Press in January 2008 and already in its 12th printing. This book has been
translated into Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Dr. Fleisch is also the author of A
Student’s Guide to Vectors and Tensors, published by Cambridge Press in 2011, and A
Student’s Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy, to be published in September of 2013.
He is currently under contract with Cambridge Press for A Student’s Guide to Waves,
which will be published in 2014. Fleisch is also the co-author with the late Prof. John
Kraus of The Ohio State University of the McGraw-Hill textbook Electromagnetics with
Applications.
Prof. Fleisch has published technical articles in the IEEE Transactions, The Journal of
Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, and Microwave Journal, and has presented more
than a dozen professional papers on topics related to high-speed microwave
instrumentation and radar cross-section measurement. He has been a regular contributor
of science commentary to PBS station WYSO of Yellow Springs, and in 2006 he
appeared in the documentary "The Dayton Codebreakers" shown on Public
Television. In 2009 he was the first U.S. citizen to receive an Arthur Award from Stuart
McLean of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Prof. Fleisch was named Outstanding Faculty Member at the Wittenberg Greek
scholarship awards in 2000, and in 2002 he won the Omicron Delta Kappa award for
Excellence in Teaching. In 2003 and 2005 he was recognized for Faculty Excellence and
Innovation by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), and in
2004 he received Wittenberg’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the university’s highest
faculty award.
In November of 2010 Prof. Fleisch was named the Ohio Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
In August of 2013 Prof. Fleisch was named one of the Top 25 Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Professors in Ohio.
Fleisch received his B.S. in Physics from Georgetown University in 1974 and his M.S.
and Ph.D. in Space Physics and Astronomy from Rice University in 1976 and 1980,
respectively.
Dan Fleisch is a Professor in the Department of Physics
at Wittenberg University, where he specializes in
electromagnetics and space physics. He is the author of
the internationally best-selling book A Student’s Guide to
Maxwell’s Equations, published by Cambridge
University Press in January 2008 and already in its 12th printing. This book has been
translated into Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Dr. Fleisch is also the author of A
Student’s Guide to Vectors and Tensors, published by Cambridge Press in 2011, and A
Student’s Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy, to be published in September of 2013.
He is currently under contract with Cambridge Press for A Student’s Guide to Waves,
which will be published in 2014. Fleisch is also the co-author with the late Prof. John
Kraus of The Ohio State University of the McGraw-Hill textbook Electromagnetics with
Applications.
Prof. Fleisch has published technical articles in the IEEE Transactions, The Journal of
Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, and Microwave Journal, and has presented more
than a dozen professional papers on topics related to high-speed microwave
instrumentation and radar cross-section measurement. He has been a regular contributor
of science commentary to PBS station WYSO of Yellow Springs, and in 2006 he
appeared in the documentary "The Dayton Codebreakers" shown on Public
Television. In 2009 he was the first U.S. citizen to receive an Arthur Award from Stuart
McLean of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Prof. Fleisch was named Outstanding Faculty Member at the Wittenberg Greek
scholarship awards in 2000, and in 2002 he won the Omicron Delta Kappa award for
Excellence in Teaching. In 2003 and 2005 he was recognized for Faculty Excellence and
Innovation by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), and in
2004 he received Wittenberg’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the university’s highest
faculty award.
In November of 2010 Prof. Fleisch was named the Ohio Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
In August of 2013 Prof. Fleisch was named one of the Top 25 Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Professors in Ohio.
Fleisch received his B.S. in Physics from Georgetown University in 1974 and his M.S.
and Ph.D. in Space Physics and Astronomy from Rice University in 1976 and 1980,
respectively.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 17, 2024
mostly understandable, but some were confusing
I would’ve appreciated further definitions regarding phase velocity and group velocity. Especially transverse velocity. Section 4.5 introduction was the most confusing, a diagram would’ve been helpful.
I would’ve appreciated further definitions regarding phase velocity and group velocity. Especially transverse velocity. Section 4.5 introduction was the most confusing, a diagram would’ve been helpful.
October 29, 2015
As a supplement to other waves book, it is as good as it gets. Clear, simple(it does not simplify things, just present each subject in a simple, clear way) and elegant. For anybody who wants a book to fill in some gaps in intuition, this is the place to go. It is also a very good place for somebody who has been out of (physics) action and wants to remember the basics of waves.
This book treats the very basics of waves(either mechanical or electromagnetic waves), so don't expect complicated phenomena that you might find in more advanced books(like Crawford's or Walter Smith's)--although there is "complicated" material like Fourier analysis which I did not expect to find it in such detail in such a short book. This book will solidify you understanding of the most basic properties of waves.
The book is full of graphs and visual illustrations to help the reader understand the physics very well. While it does not delve into "hard" mathematics, it tackles partial derivatives and more while not going very deep with them. But one thing that stands out is that the author builds a much needed intuition behind the mathematics(something that most authors don't do because they take for granted that the reader understands WHY those particular mathematics are used to describe each phenomenon).
So, to sum it up, get a good primary book like Crawford's Waves or Walter Smith's Waves and Oscillations or David Morin's drafted chapters from his book of waves(they are in his website and they indicate that when his book finally comes out, it will be the best book on waves yet) and then buy this if you need a supplement.
This book treats the very basics of waves(either mechanical or electromagnetic waves), so don't expect complicated phenomena that you might find in more advanced books(like Crawford's or Walter Smith's)--although there is "complicated" material like Fourier analysis which I did not expect to find it in such detail in such a short book. This book will solidify you understanding of the most basic properties of waves.
The book is full of graphs and visual illustrations to help the reader understand the physics very well. While it does not delve into "hard" mathematics, it tackles partial derivatives and more while not going very deep with them. But one thing that stands out is that the author builds a much needed intuition behind the mathematics(something that most authors don't do because they take for granted that the reader understands WHY those particular mathematics are used to describe each phenomenon).
So, to sum it up, get a good primary book like Crawford's Waves or Walter Smith's Waves and Oscillations or David Morin's drafted chapters from his book of waves(they are in his website and they indicate that when his book finally comes out, it will be the best book on waves yet) and then buy this if you need a supplement.
May 5, 2016
This monograph is another in an outstanding series of topic-specific physics texts aimed at providing unmatched clarity for undergraduates and "armchair" physics students. There are others that I will review independently, but my endorsement applies to all of them. Previously reviewed was "A Student's Guide To Maxwell's Equations." "Waves" provides excellent exposition on all aspects of wave interactions, as well as generation and absorption, among other topics.
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May 11, 2016tagging this ' read ' so I don't forget it
April 10, 2017
Excellent explanation of various manifestations of waves - meachanical, electromagnetic and quantum - and their shared underlying mathematics, including the wave equation (PDE) and Fourier theory. The author provides an intuitive link between the mathematics and physics of waves and supplement every chapter with problems.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews