sine wave
noun
: a waveform that represents periodic oscillations in which the amplitude of displacement at each point is proportional to the sine of the phase angle of the displacement and that is visualized as a sine curve : sine curve
also
: a wave so represented
Examples of sine wave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the most surprising comments Nolan made about his films, however, was the source for his use of the Shephard tone, a sound that creates the illusion of ascending or descending in pitch through the superposition of sine waves, which are separated by octaves.
—
Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
The dots represent measurements of the amount of IR light coming from the planet, and there is a nice sine wave drawn through them.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2010
This would cause its rotation to make the tidal forces experienced by anything nearby equally irregular—more like a sine wave than an even pull.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Feb. 2023
The transmitter is a simple circuit that usually creates a sine wave oscillating, Podhrasky said.
—Kat Friedrich, Popular Mechanics, 6 June 2023
With the sine wave of an alternating current usually oscillating 60 times (hertz) per second, energy experiences peaks and valleys.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 8 June 2023
One model put forth in 1990 assumed riders rock backward and forward at a constant frequency in simple sinusoidal motion—meaning the movement makes the shape of a sine wave in time.
—Bykatie McCormick, science.org, 7 Apr. 2023
While turning the saw on and off, the sine wave of the current had consistent symmetrical waves.
—Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 17 Mar. 2023
The literary life is less like Freytag’s Pyramid and more like a sine wave — peaks and valleys, small victories alternating with strings of failures.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2023
Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
The dots represent measurements of the amount of IR light coming from the planet, and there is a nice sine wave drawn through them.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2010
This would cause its rotation to make the tidal forces experienced by anything nearby equally irregular—more like a sine wave than an even pull.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Feb. 2023
The transmitter is a simple circuit that usually creates a sine wave oscillating, Podhrasky said.
—Kat Friedrich, Popular Mechanics, 6 June 2023
With the sine wave of an alternating current usually oscillating 60 times (hertz) per second, energy experiences peaks and valleys.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 8 June 2023
One model put forth in 1990 assumed riders rock backward and forward at a constant frequency in simple sinusoidal motion—meaning the movement makes the shape of a sine wave in time.
—Bykatie McCormick, science.org, 7 Apr. 2023
While turning the saw on and off, the sine wave of the current had consistent symmetrical waves.
—Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 17 Mar. 2023
The literary life is less like Freytag’s Pyramid and more like a sine wave — peaks and valleys, small victories alternating with strings of failures.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sine wave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1893, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near sine wave
Cite this Entry
“Sine wave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sine%20wave. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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