wave theory

Definition of wave theory

: a theory in physics: light is transmitted from luminous bodies to the eye and other objects by an undulatory movement

— called also undulatory theory

Examples of wave theory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The amazing breadth of his contributions stand out even today, ranging from his work on the science of electricity and the wave theory of light to demography, meteorology, physical oceanography and even behavioral science. — Nick Pyenson, Scientific American, "We Need More Scientists in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps," 16 Nov. 2020 This year's first place image -- showing silicone oil droplets bouncing continuously above a petri dish of vibrating oil-- was taken by the physicist Dr. Aleks Labuda and demonstrates a theory called pilot wave theory. — Rory Sullivan, CNN, "The best science photos of the year, as decreed by the Royal Society," 9 Dec. 2019 Probability in pilot-wave theories, in other words, is entirely subjective. — Quanta Magazine, "Where Quantum Probability Comes From," 9 Sep. 2019 This alternative view, known as pilot-wave theory or Bohmian mechanics, never became as popular as the Copenhagen view, in part because Bohmian mechanics implies that the world must be strange in other ways. — Quanta Magazine, "New Support for Alternative Quantum View," 16 May 2016 Patterns for Alto’ Aether: a medium that in the wave theory of light permeates all space and transmits transverse waves. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: Previously Unreleased Hendrix, and 10 More New Songs," 19 Jan. 2018 The multiple-waves theory has failed as a model because the linguistic similarities used to show patterns of migration are just not that convincing. — Adam Rutherford, The Atlantic, "A New History of the First Peoples in the Americas," 3 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wave theory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

28 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Wave theory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wave%20theory. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

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