For two-dimensional periodic water waves or sound waves, the kinetic energy per wavelength is ½mdc2, and the momentum per wavelength is ±mdc, where c is the wave velocity, and md is the drift mass per wavelength. These results also hold for three-dimensional periodic waves, for which the kinetic energy, momentum, and drift mass are all for one wave cell, the area of which is the product of the wavelengths in two perpendicular directions.

The results obtained are rigorous, and not restricted to linear waves or even to nonlinear symmetric waves. For linear water waves, in particular, the kinetic energy can be shown to be equal to the sum of the potential energy and the surface energy (due to surface tension), so that the total energy E is twice the kinetic energy, and

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McIntyre's (1981) contention that wave momentum is a myth is discussed at length for both water waves and sound waves.