Wavenumber Wavenumber In the physical sciences, the wavenumber (also wave number or repetency) is the spatial frequency of a wave, measured in cycles per unit distance or radians per unit distance. Whereas temporal frequency can be thought of as the number of waves per unit time, wavenumber is the number of waves per unit distance. In multidimensional systems, the wavenumber is the magnitude of the wave vector. The space of wave vectors is called reciprocal space. Wave numbers and wave vectors play an essential role in optics and the physics of wave scattering, such as X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, and elementary
Oh Dear! What Can the Matter Be? And nobody knew she was there. The second old lady was Abigail Splatter. She went there 'cause something was definitely the matter. But when she got there, it was only her bladder, And nobody knew she was there. </poem> One suggested precursor to the bawdy song, recorded in William's "Upper Thames" collection is the following "old morris fragment": <poem> Oh, dear, what can the matter be? Three old women tied to an apple tree! One ran away, the others stopped till Saturday. Oh, dear, what can the matter be? </poem> As with many folk songs and tall tales each verse