wave number (redirected from wave numbers)

wave number

n.

The number of waves per unit distance in a series of waves of a given wavelength; the reciprocal of the wavelength.

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wave number

The number of wave cycles per unit distance for a wave of a given wavelength.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

wave number - the reciprocal of the wavelength of a wave rydberg, rydberg constant, rydberg unit - a wave number characteristic of the wave spectrum of each element frequence, frequency, oftenness - the number of occurrences within a given time period; "the frequency of modulation was 40 cycles per second"; "the frequency of his seizures increased as he grew older"