Wave dispersion

Wave dispersion means that phase velocity depends on wavenumber or, equivalently, wavelength. Wave packets generally travel with group velocity, which need not equal phase velocity. The linear rotating shallow-water dispersion relation ${\omega }^2=f^2+c^2{k}^2$ has faster long-wave phase motion but slower long-wave packet motion when $f\ne 0$.

A nondispersive wave has constant phase velocity on a propagation branch. For $\omega =ck$, its group velocity is also $c$. A frequency relation with a nonzero offset, such as $\omega =ck+b$, has constant group velocity but a phase velocity $c+b/k$ depending on wavenumber; constant group velocity alone is therefore not sufficient for nondispersion.