Chronology | Current Month | Current Thread | Current Date |
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] | [Date Index] [Thread Index] | [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] | [Date Prev] [Date Next] |
[bw]The *rms* amplitude (i.e., the only one that "really matters") of
a transverse wave is always sqrt(2) times larger than that of its
two equal amplitude component waves whether the wave is linear and
the components helical or vice-versa. This is a simple
mathematical result and it (reassuringly) agrees with the dictum
of conservation of energy since the intensity of a wave is
proportional to the mean square amplitude.
John
It is certainly not difficult to frame an elementary rebuttal to
this curious post....
It's easy to "rebut" an argument by constructing strawmen. A second
reading of my post, however, will surely reveal that I was referring to
two cases and two cases only:
1 A linearly polarized wave constructed from two equal magnitude
circularly polarized ("helical") waves
2 A circularly polarized wave constructed from two equal magnitude
linearly polarized waves
... a linearly polarized wave of
zero amplitude may be constructed from two (opposite parity) circularly
polarized waves of equal amplitude if and only if those amplitudes are
zero as well. The same holds for constructing zero amplitude circularly
polarized waves from two (orthogonal) linearly polarized waves.
John