() A mathematical function that gives the amplitude of a wave as a function of position (and sometimes, as a function of time and/or electron spin). Wavefunctions are used in chemistry to represent the behavior of electrons bound in atoms or molecules.

a mathematical description of the density in space of the wave associated with a particle, such as an electron in an atom , or with a group of particles, such as all of the easily movable electrons in a copper wire

a mathematical shape centred on the nucleus that defines the shape of the orbitals containing the electrons

a scalar function that describes the properties of wave s

a scalar function that describes the properties of waves

A wavefunction is the mathematical tool that quantum mechanics uses to describe any physical system. It is a function from a space that consists of the possible states of the system into the complex numbers. The laws of quantum mechanics (i.e. the Schrödinger equation) describe how the wave function evolves over time.