wave mechanics

wave mechanics

n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

A theory that ascribes characteristics of waves to subatomic particles and attempts to interpret physical phenomena on this basis.

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wave mechanics

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.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

wave mechanics - the modern form of quantum theory; an extension of quantum mechanics based on Schrodinger's equation; atomic events are explained as interactions between particle waves quantum mechanics - the branch of quantum physics that accounts for matter at the atomic level; an extension of statistical mechanics based on quantum theory (especially the Pauli exclusion principle)