HomeServicesBlogDictionariesContactSpanish Course
← Back to search

Meaning of gravitational wave | Babel Free

Noun CEFR B2
/ˌɡɹæ.vəˈteɪ.ʃə.nəl weɪv/

Definitions

  1. A fluctuation in spacetime caused by accelerating mass, which propagates as a wave at the speed of light.
  2. A gravity wave.
    dated, proscribed

Equivalents

Examples

“It is therefore apparent that the existence of gravitational waves can be deduced from general relativity just as the existence of electromagnetic waves can be deduced from Maxwell's theory.”
“It might be anticipated that a pulsating star, such as a Cepheid is believed to be, would emit gravitational waves abundantly; but when the question is examined analytically, this expectation is not confirmed.”
“Fourth, there exists a strong competition on the side of purely astronomical means for indirect detection of gravitational waves.”
“A gravitational-wave detector exploits the physical effects of a gravitational wave on bodies to detect the waves. A gravitational wave detector may, for example, monitor the separation between two freely falling bodies; as a gravitational wave passes, the two bodies will experience a tidal acceleration relative to each other.”
“Physicists have announced the discovery of gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime first anticipated by Albert Einstein a century ago. “We have detected gravitational waves. We did it,” said David Reitze, executive director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Ligo), at a press conference in Washington.”
“Scientists have detected about 300 black hole mergers from the gravitational waves they generate. Until now, the most massive merger known produced a black hole about 140 times the mass of the sun.”
“These layers also permit visual observation of the well-known "gravitational waves," which were suggested by Helmholtz and have been investigated theoretically at some length. It is frequently suggested that these atmospheric waves may be connected with signal fading.”
“It is difficult to see whether a sufficient amount of energy is communicated to the sea by the air masses directly in the form of compressional waves or it is transmitted or increased by the action of gravitational waves.”
“In the used model sound waves and external gravitational waves have been filtered; combined inertial-internal gravitational waves, however, are still included in the equations.”

CEFR level

B2
Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.

See also

Learn this word in context

See gravitational wave used in real conversations inside our free language course.

Start Free Course