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In physics and mathematics, wavelength or spatial period of a wave or periodic function is the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] In other words, it is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, troughs, or zero crossings .
In multidimensional systems, the wavenumber is the magnitude of the wave vector. The space of wave vectors is called reciprocal space. Wave numbers and wave vectors play an essential role in optics and the physics of wave scattering, such as X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, electron diffraction, and elementary particle physics.
Ballantine scale – Marine biology measurement scale; Boussinesq approximation (water waves) – Approximation valid for weakly non-linear and fairly long waves; Mild-slope equation – Physics phenomenon and formula; Shallow water equations – Set of partial differential equations that describe the flow below a pressure surface in a fluid
Breaking swell waves at Hermosa Beach, California. A swell, also sometimes referred to as ground swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series of mechanical waves that propagate along the interface between water and air under the predominating influence of gravity, and thus are often referred to as surface gravity waves.
An illustration of a periodic function with period . A periodic function, also called a periodic waveform (or simply periodic wave), is a function that repeats its values at regular intervals or periods. The repeatable part of the function or waveform is called a cycle. [1]
Vibration and standing waves in a string, The fundamental and the first six overtones. The fundamental frequency, often referred to simply as the fundamental (abbreviated as f 0 or f 1), is defined as the lowest frequency of a periodic waveform. [1] In music, the fundamental is the musical pitch of a note that is perceived as the lowest partial ...
In physics, the acoustic wave equation is a second-order partial differential equation that governs the propagation of acoustic waves through a material medium resp. a standing wavefield. The equation describes the evolution of acoustic pressure p or particle velocity u as a function of position x and time t. A simplified (scalar) form of the ...
In some (unusual) cases both end points of a branch (family) of periodic travelling wave solutions are homoclinic solutions, [37] in which case one must use an external starting point, such as a numerical solution of the partial differential equations. Periodic travelling wave stability can also be calculated numerically, by computing the spectrum.