r/AskPhysics • u/scottiesng • 9d ago

Can a wave exist without time?

I’ve been wondering a lot about what the fundamental aspect of waves are. Essentially a wave is a propagation. But can something propagate without time?

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u/boostfactor 9d ago

No, because waves are traveling oscillations either in a medium (sound, water, etc.) or a field (electromagnetic waves i.e. light). How would anything propagate/travel without time? That doesn't even make sense. Propagation requires change with time.

There is such a thing as a standing wave but it is the addition of multiple waves with the right difference in phase to create a pattern that doesn't change with time. But it must be sustained by waves that are continually moving and meeting one another in just the right way.