Intuitively proof that intensity of a wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude

Asked Jul 21 '14 at 13:43

Active Jul 21 '14 at 13:46

Viewed 140 times

Firstly I would like to know if this is valid for every kind of wave, or are there any conditions/exceptions where this is not valid.

But the main question is, is it possible to prove this fact for a general wave intuitively, rather than taking specific waves and deriving equations and showing it?

edited Jul 21 '14 at 13:46

Kyle Kanos

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asked Jul 21 '14 at 13:43

gpuguy

This question is only answerable if you can provide a definition of "intensity" that holds for every wave. – ACuriousMind Jul 21 '14 at 13:46
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@ACuriousMind I= power transferred per unit area – gpuguy Jul 21 '14 at 13:48
@gpuguy: "I = power transferred per unit area"... You need to put that in your original question. – DanielSank Jul 21 '14 at 15:11
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It's a good question, but already answered elsewhere http://physics.stackexchange.com/q/16755/ – David Jul 21 '14 at 16:11

Intuitively proof that intensity of a wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude

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