ERIC Number: EJ852856
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Feb
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Analog of Optical Elements for Sound Waves in Air
Gluck, Paul; Perkalskis, Benjamin
Physics Teacher, v47 n2 p75-79 Feb 2009
Optical elements manipulate light waves. They may be used to focus the light or to change the phase, the polarization, the direction, or the intensity of light. Many of these functions are often demonstrated with microwaves, since the devices normally available in teaching laboratories produce wavelengths in the centimeter range and are therefore more tangible. The same can be said for sound waves for frequencies in the kHz range. This property is the clue for producing elements such as half-wave plates, zone plates, and lenses for sound waves, based on techniques that have been developed for microwaves. This is the subject of the present article. Readers might wish to build some of these devices, which would then help to impress on students the unity of wave phenomena.
Descriptors: Physics, Science Instruction, Science Laboratories, Acoustics, Light, Optics, Teaching Methods, Scientific Principles
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://scitation.aip.org/tpt
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A