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What is a wave?

Nature volume 401, pages 739–740 (1999)Cite this article

Most people assume that a wave, being central to all the phenomena we observe, has a uniform definition. But defining this basic concept isn't so easy.

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Figure 1: The recorded wavefield that has propagated through a homogeneous silicon crystal at three times after excitation at the other side of the crystal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Geophysics and the Center for Wave Phenomena, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, 80401, USA

    John A. Scales

  2. the Department of Geophysics, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.021, 3508 TA, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Roel Snieder

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  1. John A. Scales
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  2. Roel Snieder
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Scales, J., Snieder, R. What is a wave?. Nature 401, 739–740 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/44453

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