wave mechanics

American  

noun

Physics.

1. a form of quantum mechanics formulated in terms of a wave equation, as the Schrödinger equation.

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wave mechanics British  

noun

1. (functioning as singular) physics the formulation of quantum mechanics in which the behaviour of systems, such as atoms, is described in terms of their wave functions

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wave mechanics Scientific  

1. A theory that interprets the behavior of matter (especially subatomic or other small particles) in terms of the properties of waves. A broad range of physical phenomena, from the propagation of earthquakes to the structures of electron orbitals in atoms, have been understood using wave mechanics. Quantum mechanics uses a form of wave mechanics and involves wave equations such as Schrödinger's equation to capture both the wavelike and particlelike properties of matter.

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Etymology

Origin of wave mechanics

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

They developed two different mathematical approaches, wave mechanics and matrix mechanics, to describe quantum systems.

From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026

This is not a new observation and standard wave mechanics can describe most of these daily phenomena.

From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2023

Our understanding of wave mechanics, on which those models are based, is wildly incomplete.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2016

His Nobel Prize achievement, ten years ago, was devising wave mechanics to reconcile the seeming contradictions in the nature of light.

From Time Magazine Archive

The observation excited the attention of the Austrian Erwin Schrödinger, who made some deft refinements and devised a handy system called wave mechanics.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson