Upper division physics majors will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of ultrasonic acoustics and ultrasonic characterization of materials. Increasing concern with both product quality and cost has resulted in a demand for more nondestructive evaluation of materials. Students in two upper division laboratories and in senior seminar projects will use a high resolution, microcomputer controlled mechanical scanner to develop a solid understanding of ultrasonic propagation. In addition to measurement of fundamental acoustic parameters such as group velocity and attenuation, students may examine the frequency dependence of the phase velocity or the spatial distribution of energy in an interrogating ultrasonic beam. Students will learn about ultrasonics and materials in particular, and they also will have the opportunity to do experiments which deal with the fundamental properties of any kind of waves.
