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In The Physical Sciences
In The Physical Sciences
proportional to the reciprocal of the wavelength. It is also the magnitude of the wave vector. Its
usual symbols are , , or k, the first three used for one definition, the last for another. The
wavenumber has dimensions of reciprocal length, so its SI unit is m-1 and cgs unit cm1 (in this
context formerly called the kayser, after Heinrich Kayser).