Definition:Wave

Definition

A wave is a disturbance in a medium which propagates through that medium with the following properties:

$(1): \quad$ energy is propagated between two points in space through that medium

$(2): \quad$ the disturbance travels through the medium without causing the medium itself to undergo any permanent displacement.

Progressive Wave

A wave whose wave profile actually moves in space over time is called a progressive wave.

Disturbance

The disturbance of a wave at a given point and time is defined as the quantity that the medium is different from its equilibrium.

Direction of Propagation

The direction in which a wave travels is known as its direction of propagation.

Also see

• Results about wave mechanics can be found here.

Sources

• 1955: C.A. Coulson: Waves (7th ed.) ... (next): Chapter $\text {I}$: The Equation of Wave Motion: $\S 1$
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): wave
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): wave
• 2021: Richard Earl and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (6th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): wave