- #1
kcodon
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Semantics of "Wave"
Hi all,
I have two questions related to the use of the word "wave"...and I would like know whether this actually represents a physical wave nature.
#1 The "wave"-function. This is what little I think I know about the wavefunction...it represents certain values about the subject (i.e. electron quantum numbers) and how they evolve with time, and the amplitude squared represents the probability of these values occurring. This of course may be wrong. Now I was wondering how the wavefunction is actually related to a sinusoidal wave. I don't think it means that subject travels along a wavelike path (could someone confirm this please) - but is the shape of the wavefunction on a graph actually sinusoidal, or gaussian? As it is related to probability, I would have said it was Gaussian, and this seems confusing...because it is then not exactly a "wave".
#2 De Broglie wavelength. So all I know about this is that it implies all matter has a specific wavelength, related to it's momentum. I was wondering again how to interpret this. Does it mean that the mass actually "wiggles" along, traveling a sinusoidal path through spacetime (again a yes/no here would be helpful)? Or is it again somewhat like the wavefunction above, related to probabilities? Or is it another way of putting Heisenburgs Uncertainty principle...I thought of this possibility after reading the following from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave%E2%80%93particle_duality"
Any ideas are welcome,
Thanks,
Kcodon
Hi all,
I have two questions related to the use of the word "wave"...and I would like know whether this actually represents a physical wave nature.
#1 The "wave"-function. This is what little I think I know about the wavefunction...it represents certain values about the subject (i.e. electron quantum numbers) and how they evolve with time, and the amplitude squared represents the probability of these values occurring. This of course may be wrong. Now I was wondering how the wavefunction is actually related to a sinusoidal wave. I don't think it means that subject travels along a wavelike path (could someone confirm this please) - but is the shape of the wavefunction on a graph actually sinusoidal, or gaussian? As it is related to probability, I would have said it was Gaussian, and this seems confusing...because it is then not exactly a "wave".
#2 De Broglie wavelength. So all I know about this is that it implies all matter has a specific wavelength, related to it's momentum. I was wondering again how to interpret this. Does it mean that the mass actually "wiggles" along, traveling a sinusoidal path through spacetime (again a yes/no here would be helpful)? Or is it again somewhat like the wavefunction above, related to probabilities? Or is it another way of putting Heisenburgs Uncertainty principle...I thought of this possibility after reading the following from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave%E2%80%93particle_duality"
Just as it is nonsensical to discuss the precise location of a wave on a string, particles do not have perfectly precise positions; likewise, just as it is nonsensical to discuss the wavelength of a "pulse" wave traveling down a string, particles do not have perfectly precise momenta (which corresponds to the inverse of wavelength). Moreover, when position is relatively well defined, the wave is pulse-like and has a very ill-defined wavelength (and thus momentum). And conversely, when momentum (and thus wavelength) is relatively well defined, the wave looks long and sinusoidal, and therefore it has a very ill-defined position.
Any ideas are welcome,
Thanks,
Kcodon
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