light-vector

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A vector or line which indicates by its length and direction the magnitude and character of the disturbance of the ether (the so-called light-disturbance) at any point in a region traversed by polarized light. The light-disturbance s is defined by the equation where A is the amplitude, t the time, T the period of the disturbance, and ν the constant of phase