The Physics of Vibrations and Waves, 5th Edition [Paperback]

H. J. Pain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0471985430 | ISBN-13: 978-0471985433 | Edition: 5

The main theme of this best-selling book is that the transmission of energy by wave propagation is fundamental to almost every branch of physics. Therefore, besides giving students a thorough grounding in the theory of wave and vibrations, the book also demonstrates the pattern and unity of a large part of physics. This new edition has been thoroughly revised with the help of Professor Lyle Roelofs of Haverford College, USA. As with earlier editions, there are large numbers of problems together with hints on how to solve them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...suitable...for the American undergraduate sophomore-level course...good, solid experimental perspective throughout and emphasis on impedance as a unifying concept..." (American Journal of Physics, Vol. 69, No. 8, August 2001)

From the Back Cover

The transmission of energy by wave propagation is fundamental to almost every branch of physics. Using a practical, applied approach, this book gives a solid grounding in the theory of waves, vibrations and optics, together with demonstrating the pattern and unity of a large part of physics. To aid comprehension a large number of problems at varying degrees of difficulty are given together with hints for solution. The 5th edition of The Physics of Vibrations and Waves features:

• new material on matrix applications to coupled oscillations, optical systems and multi-layer dielectric films;
• new sections on electromagnetic waves in the ionosphere and other plasmas, the laser cavity, and optical wave guides;
• extensive treatment of solitons, including their role in optical transmission lines, in collisionless shocks in space, in non-periodic lattices and their connection with Schrödingers equation.

The Physics of Vibrations and Waves should be read by students taking a first full course in vibration and waves across a variety of disciplines, especially physics, engineering and mathematics.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 5 edition (March 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471985430
• ISBN-13: 978-0471985433
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,285,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Reference, August 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Physics of Vibrations and Waves, 5th Edition (Paperback)

One day when the professor who was teaching the Wave Phenomena and Modern Physics quarter of my General Physics sequence was away serving on a thesis review panel or some such business, the professor who had taught the Electricity and Magnetism quarter took over the class. Before giving lecture he commented, "I really hate your text. There's no physics in it. It's a math text."

In an important way he was correct. Pain's text covers a wide variety of physical phenomena which are similar to each other in coceptual ways and are related in the mathematical methods used to treat them. He does not make any particular attempt to explore the relations among the topic when they exist nor does he especially attempt to deepen the reader's physical intuition. In this sense this text is lacking as a teaching tool.

However I have the sense that this text was meant for a different use. Pain provides the reader with a solid background in the mathematical methods used to tackle situations from vibrating membranes to basic physical optics to introductory wave mechanics. Admittedly it helps to come to this text with the proper mathematical background: some knowledge of Fourier analysis, some knowledge of partial differetntial equations, etc. For a student with the proper prerequisites this text can serve as a valuable refernce, which is the capacity in which my professor used this book.

Ultimately the value of this book depends on the nature of the course in which it is used (I would not recommend it as a first self-study course in this topic). A complete and rigorous lecture series or an aditional, more intuitive text are a fine complement to Pain's work. It is, in addition, a text I will always keep as a reference for my further work.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Usuable, but difficult, May 19, 2000

By 

Joshua L. Adelman (Haverford, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Physics of Vibrations and Waves (Hardcover)

While getting its point across, this book was filled with errors and proved to be incredibly confusing at times. Pain often makes theoretical jumps in logic that are difficult to trace for an undergraduate student, as he provides little in the way of an explanation. This text is useable, but approach with caution.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, May 7, 2000

By 

Ely Iaroslavitz (Israel, Tel-Aviv) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Physics of Vibrations and Waves, 5th Edition (Paperback)

Great book,very comprehensive. It should be used only after knowing calculus with more than one variable. Fundamental book for students that learn physics.