probability wave

American  

noun

probability waves plural

1. Physics. a wave function describing the behaviour of a particle that exists only as a set of probabilities until it is observed.

---

probability wave Scientific  

1. A quantum state of a particle or system, as characterized by a wave propagating through space, in which the square of the magnitude of the wave at any given point corresponds to the probability of finding the particle at that point. Mathematically, a probability wave is described by the wave function, which is a solution to the wave equation describing the system.

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• probability waves
  plural

Example Sentences

Quantum physics describes reality using probability wave functions, while general relativity describes how matter and energy shape the geometry of spacetime.

From Science Daily • Jan. 8, 2026