wave theory
1
5.6
- noun
- /weɪv ˈθɪəri/
- Specialized
:
teoría de ondas
- Many phenomena in optics, such as diffraction and interference, can be explained through the wave theory.
- wave theory of light
I once wrote a book on the origins of wave theory of light, and that is one of the paradigmatic examples that Tom used.
- I once wrote a book on the origins of wave theory of light, and that is one of the paradigmatic examples that Tom used.
Examples
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A group of cars passed beneath him, then a few stragglers, then another group; an example of wave theory.
Fiction book (2001) -
Thought only began to take a new turn with the wave theory of light and the theory of the electromagnetic field of Faraday and Maxwell.
Academic text (2009) -
In fact, he even came to disbeliever everything that ordinary quantum mechanics explains, the pilot wave theory explains.
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All research materials pertaining to Dr. Sid's wave theory... ...are to be confiscated.
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PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961) contributed to the development of the wave theory of matter.
Academic text (2004) -
The crime-wave theory rests on two assumptions: that there will be substantially more dropouts once high school attendance becomes voluntary and that dropping out in itself causes youth criminality.
Academic text (1998) -
The wave theory explains that light travels in the form of waves rather than as particles.
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In physics, the wave theory of light is essential for understanding how we perceive colors and images.
Synonyms
A scientific idea that light travels as waves rather than particles
A scientific idea that light moves as waves and makes bright and dark patterns
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is fully compositional: 'wave' (a disturbance or oscillation in a medium) combined with 'theory' (an explanation) clearly yields 'a theory about waves.' A B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the scientific meaning (that certain phenomena are explained in terms of waves), and this type of noun–noun naming is cross-linguistically common, making it transparent.
Etymology
Wave theory comes from imagining light as waves, like ripples on a pond that spread out and meet each other. When these ripples meet they make bright or dark spots and can bend around gaps, so wave theory means light is carried as 'waves' rather than 'particles'.