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wave equation
noun
: a partial differential equation of the second order whose solutions describe wave phenomena
Examples of wave equation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This goes back to another quote of another founder of modern physics, Paul Dirac, who wrote down the relativistic wave equation, an equation that describes quantum mechanics connected with special relativity — it’s called the Dirac equation.
—Quanta Magazine, 20 June 2024
The Universe Is Inherently Probabilistic Over a twelve-month period in 1926, at the age of thirty-eight, Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961) wrote six major papers that would lay the foundation of quantum mechanics and introduce us all to his famous wave equation.
—Scott Bembenek, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2017
For analyzing electromagnetics, the RF Module enables the use of Maxwell’s equations to solve for the wave equation at every point within the model that is impacted by electromagnetic fields.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Jan. 2023
All that can be said for sure is that the electron moves between quantum states according to the probability determined by Schrödinger’s wave equation.
—Scott Bembenek, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2017
In the mathematics, there’s the part of the wave equation where every wave is just minding its own business.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022
As their number rises, using Schrödinger’s wave equation to account for the constant contact between all electrons grows exponentially harder.
—Quanta Magazine, 7 Feb. 2022
There's the Momentum Principle, the wave equation, Schrödinger's equation, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
—Rhett Allain, Wired, 17 Sep. 2020
The solutions to the wave equation describing a particle in this system can be labeled ψA when slit A is open and ψB when slit B is open.
—Urbasi Sinha, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2020
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Word History
First Known Use
1926, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near wave equation
Cite this Entry
“Wave equation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wave%20equation. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on wave equation
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wave equation
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