wave front


noun Physics.

a surface, real or imaginary, that is the locus of all adjacent points at which the phase of oscillation is the same.

Origin of wave front

First recorded in 1865–70

Example sentences from the Web for wave front

Scientific definitions for wave front

wave front

The set of points in space reached by a wave or vibration at the same instant as the wave travels through a medium. Wave fronts generally form a continuous line or surface. The lines formed by crests of ripples on a pond, for example, correspond to curved wave fronts.