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Quantum mechanics. Matter waves are a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics, being half of wave–particle duality. At all scales where measurements have been practical, matter exhibits wave -like behavior. For example, a beam of electrons can be diffracted just like a beam of light or a water wave.
Polarization (also polarisation) is a property of transverse waves which specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. [1][2][3][4][5] In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the wave. [4] A simple example of a polarized transverse wave is vibrations traveling along a ...
Wavelength depends on the medium (for example, vacuum, air, or water) that a wave travels through. Examples of waves are sound waves, light, water waves and periodic electrical signals in a conductor. A sound wave is a variation in air pressure, while in light and other electromagnetic radiation the strength of the electric and the magnetic ...
Spectrum (physical sciences) Diagram illustrating the electromagnetic spectrum. In the physical sciences, the term spectrum was introduced first into optics by Isaac Newton in the 17th century, referring to the range of colors observed when white light was dispersed through a prism. [1][2] Soon the term referred to a plot of light intensity or ...
Electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of electromagnetic radiation, organized by frequency or wavelength. The spectrum is divided into separate bands, with different names for the electromagnetic waves within each band. From low to high frequency these are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light ...
The Doppler effect (also Doppler shift) is the change in the frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the source of the wave. [1][2][3] The Doppler effect is named after the physicist Christian Doppler, who described the phenomenon in 1842. A common example of Doppler shift is the change of pitch heard when a ...
An action spectrum is a graph of the rate of biological effectiveness plotted against wavelength of light. [1] It is related to absorption spectrum in many systems. Mathematically, it describes the inverse quantity of light required to evoke a constant response. It is very rare for an action spectrum to describe the level of biological activity ...
In condensed matter physics, a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter that is typically formed when a gas of bosons at very low densities is cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero , i.e., 0 K (−273.15 °C; −459.67 °F). Under such conditions, a large fraction of bosons occupy the lowest quantum state, at which ...