Wave propagation is a fascinating branch of physical science, and its importance is certainly not lessened by the fact that it cuts across so
many boundaries of the conventional specialized disciplines. This is
being recognized to an increasing extent in colleges and universities
through the introduction of unified courses in radiation physics in place
of the previously standardized courses in optics, acoustics, and
electromagnetic radiation. From a pedagogical point of view, much may be
said in favor of introducing the subject with mechanical radiation, since
here the student grasps most directly what is meant by a wave. The
first purpose of this book is therefore to provide such an introduction to
wave motion for advanced undergraduate and first-year graduate
students, using mechanical radiation as the principal vehicle but laying stress
on those aspects which are common to ail kinds of wave propagation.