Acoustic waves: a finite difference film

A finite difference solution of the acoustic wave equation is an ideal basis for making movies since the computations naturally provide a series of frames at successive, discrete time increments. Each time frame contains a picture of the wave field present at that time. An example is illustrated in a short (~2.8 Min) 16 mm film that shows the dynamic response of a two-dimensional model to a point source. The model consists of a layer of varying thickness that overlies a half space. The film shows the point source expanding into a circular wavefront that is reflected, refracted, and diffracted by the model.