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Surface waves in water showing water ripples. In physics, mathematics, engineering, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. Periodic waves oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (resting) value at some frequency.
The wave equation is a second-order linear partial differential equation for the description of waves or standing wave fields such as mechanical waves (e.g. water waves, sound waves and seismic waves) or electromagnetic waves (including light waves). It arises in fields like acoustics, electromagnetism, and fluid dynamics.
The phase velocity is the rate at which the phase of the wave propagates in space. The group velocity is the rate at which the wave envelope, i.e. the changes in amplitude, propagates. The wave envelope is the profile of the wave amplitudes; all transverse displacements are bound by the envelope profile.
An undamped spring–mass system is an oscillatory system. Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states.
The interference involves different types of mathematical functions: A classical wave is a real function representing the displacement from an equilibrium position; an optical or quantum wavefunction is a complex function. A classical wave at any point can be positive or negative; the quantum probability function is non-negative.
Wave properties may refer to: Physical properties of waves : transmission, reflection, polarization, diffraction, refraction and others Mathematical description of waves : amplitude, frequency, wavelength, and others
The wave function of an initially very localized free particle. In quantum physics, a wave function (or wavefunction) is a mathematical description of the quantum state of an isolated quantum system. The most common symbols for a wave function are the Greek letters ψ and Ψ (lower-case and capital psi, respectively). Wave functions are complex ...
The equilibrium tide is the idealized tide assuming a landless Earth. [51] It would produce a tidal bulge in the ocean, elongated towards the attracting body (Moon or Sun).