Time Harmonic Electromagnetic Wave Propagation Demo

Using the coffee can radar and two LEDs we demonstrate electromagnetic wave propagation in free space.

This demo tries to show that electromagnetic wave propagation is tangible, not so abstract, and easy to understand when visualized properly.

To build your own coffee can radar please goto:
http://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-ll-003-build-a-small-radar-system-capable-of...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• electromagnetics
• wave
• propagation
• microwave
• radiation
• demonstration
• radar
• travelin

[luxfx]

This could be expanded to demonstrate the wave pattern in the double slit experiment, yes?

[charvatg]

@luxfx Yes, absolutely. That would be a very interesting visualization. I will keep this in mind next time i create another demo.

[monarchham]

Very cool! Are we seeing an actual wave front or simply a standing wave? It seems that the demo is illistrating the positions of the peaks/valleys of the RF wave thereby a standing wave.

How about a radar building workshop at FDIM/Dayton????

73

Herb/WR9H

[charvatg]

@monarchham Although it looks similar, it is not a standing wave, it is a coherent detector. You are viewing the phase of the traveling wave wrt its reference.

[jeriellsworth]

Very nice. I reproduced this with sounds after seeing the old RCA photos of standing waves.

[charvatg]

@jeriellsworth That is fantastic! I just looked at your demo. This one is different in that i am using a coherent detector to detect traveling, rather than a standing wave. By coherent detector i mean that i am continuously multiplying my transmitted CW tone by what i receive and this is what drives the LEDs. Therefore the LEDs are phase coherent with the microwave source. It should be even more clean than this but i think the problem was that my arm was not at the same height all the time.

[dailypinoyshowbiz]

I want this video on my Cubo phone.

[lifehackertips]

i dont care how it's done, i just want to see what it looks like when it's done

[scoobyroo06]

so is this a running play or passing play?

[Ducky1138]

I want a basement-laboratory... :(

[TurboLoveTrain]

neat. please use darker ink next time..

[KurosakiYasutora]

Very nice indeed!!! I only wish that the drawings on the whiteboard were a bit bolder... You mentioned something about a 2.4 GHz frequency, so what is this frequency? only the carrier? or the central frequency of a wider spectrum wave? Maybe is clearer if i ask what are the properties of the wave you are using for the radar system and how to produce in a basement lab?

[Ajahanfard]

I wanted to say your brilliant and i am glad they are people out there who are still able to pioneer simple devices to show simple ideas .

A++++

[nikolaiyk]

Nice!