wavefunction

Etymology

From wave + function.

noun

  1. (physics) A mathematical function that describes the propagation of the quantum mechanical wave associated with a particle (or system of particles), related to the probability of finding the particle in a particular region of space.
    The interpretation of the wavefunction was one of the thorny issues facing the early pioneers of quantum theory. 2011, Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw, The Quantum World, Allen Lane, published 2011, page 41

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