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| | Wave Functions |
 | | In fact, most physical waves, such as those of sound in air or waves on the surface of water, or an electromagnetic wave moving along a transmission line, or light propagating down a fibre, are not precisely described by an equation of this type. |
 | | Waves on the surface of deep water are also strongly dispersive, the phase velocity being proportional to the square root of the wavelength. |
 | | For electromagnetic waves in which only one polarization state exists, or the two states are mixed equally, as in white light, and for phenomena that are nearly independent of polarization, such as diffraction, scalar waves give an adequate description. |
| www.du.edu /~jcalvert/waves/wavefun.htm (5715 words) |
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