J. Mc Laughlin wrote:
Bottom line: assuming the use of networks (lumped or distributed) that
are essentially linear, one is only allowed to combine phasor voltages or
phasor currents (but not their product nor the square of such linear
signals).

Power can certainly be combined, just not superposed. Here is
the irradiance equation from _Optics_, by Hecht.

Itot = I1 + I2 + Sqrt(I1*I2)cos(theta)

Irradiance is power/unit-area. The last term is known as the
"interference" term. Hecht provides separate chapters for
interference and superposition, the best treatment of those
two subjects of which I am aware.

Here is the transmission line forward power equation from Dr.
Best's QST transmission line article.

Ptot = P1 + P2 + Sqrt(P1*P2)cos(theta)

It is virtually identical to the irradiance equation above.
The last term is known to be the "interference" term and
for a Z0-matched system, THETA EQUALS ZERO, so for a Z0-
matched system, a complete analysis can be done using only
the forward and reflected power magnitudes. This is something
I and others have been saying for years and it has been
called "gobbledegook" (sic) by Roy (and worse by others) even
though Roy admits that he doesn't care to understand where the
power goes.

It seems to me that Roy, and others, have plowed this ground many times.

Yes, and they are still not 100% correct. Roy has said:
'I personally don't have a compulsion to understand where
this power "goes".' Too bad he doesn't have that compulsion
because, with a small amount of mental effort, he surely would
have figured it out before me - if by no other means, simply by
referencing the chapter on EM wave interference in _Optics_.
--
73, Cecil, http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

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