Phase (waves)
Phase in sinusoidal functions or in waves has two different, but closely related, meanings. One is the initial angle of a sinusoidal function at its origin and is sometimes called phase offset or phase difference. Another usage is the fraction of the wave cycle that has elapsed relative to the origin.[1]
Formula
The phase of an oscillation or wave refers to a sinusoidal function such as the following:
where ,
, and
are constant parameters called the amplitude, frequency, and phase of the sinusoid. These functions are periodic with period
, and they are identical except for a displacement of
along the
axis. The term phase can refer to several different things:
- It can refer to a specified reference, such as
, in which case we would say the phase of
is
, and the phase of
is
.
- It can refer to
, in which case we would say
and
have the same phase but are relative to their own specific references.
- In the context of communication waveforms, the time-variant angle
, or its principal value, is referred to as instantaneous phase, often just phase.
Phase shift
![](../I/m/Phase_shift.svg.png)
Phase shift is any change that occurs in the phase of one quantity, or in the phase difference between two or more quantities.[1]
is sometimes referred to as a phase shift or phase offset, because it represents a "shift" from zero phase.
For infinitely long sinusoids, a change in is the same as a shift in time, such as a time delay. If
is delayed (time-shifted) by
of its cycle, it becomes:
whose "phase" is now . It has been shifted by
radians.
Phase difference
![](../I/m/Sine_waves_same_phase.svg.png)
![](../I/m/Sine_waves_different_phase.svg.png)
![](../I/m/Phase-shift_illustration.png)
Phase difference is the difference, expressed in degrees or time, between two waves having the same frequency and referenced to the same point in time.[1] Two oscillators that have the same frequency and no phase difference are said to be in phase. Two oscillators that have the same frequency and different phases have a phase difference, and the oscillators are said to be out of phase with each other.
The amount by which such oscillators are out of phase with each other can be expressed in degrees from 0° to 360°, or in radians from 0 to 2π. If the phase difference is 180 degrees (π radians), then the two oscillators are said to be in antiphase. If two interacting waves meet at a point where they are in antiphase, then destructive interference will occur. It is common for waves of electromagnetic (light, RF), acoustic (sound) or other energy to become superposed in their transmission medium. When that happens, the phase difference determines whether they reinforce or weaken each other. Complete cancellation is possible for waves with equal amplitudes.
Time is sometimes used (instead of angle) to express position within the cycle of an oscillation. A phase difference is analogous to two athletes running around a race track at the same speed and direction but starting at different positions on the track. They pass a point at different instants in time. But the time difference (phase difference) between them is a constant - same for every pass since they are at the same speed and in the same direction. If they were at different speeds (different frequencies), the phase difference is undefined and would only reflect different starting positions. Technically, phase difference between two entities at various frequencies is undefined and does not exist.
- Time zones are also analogous to phase differences.
A real-world example of a sonic phase difference occurs in the warble of a Native American flute. The amplitude of different harmonic components of same long-held note on the flute come into dominance at different points in the phase cycle. The phase difference between the different harmonics can be observed on a spectrogram of the sound of a warbling flute.[2]
See also
- In-phase and quadrature components
- Instantaneous phase
- Lissajous curve
- Phase angle
- Phase cancellation
- Phase change (waves)
- Phase problem
- Phase velocity
- Phasor
- Polarity
- Polarization
- Coherence, the quality of a wave to display a well defined phase relationship in different regions of its domain of definition
- Absolute phase
References
- 1 2 3 Ballou, Glen (2005). Handbook for sound engineers (3 ed.). Focal Press, Gulf Professional Publishing. p. 1499. ISBN 0-240-80758-8.
- ↑ Clint Goss; Barry Higgins (2013). "The Warble". Flutopedia. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
External links
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phase (waves). |
- Relationship of phase difference and time-delay
- Phase angle, phase difference, time delay, and frequency
- ECE 209: Sources of Phase Shift — Discusses the time-domain sources of phase shift in simple linear time-invariant circuits.
- Phase Difference Java Applet