  Pairs of particles of definite total and relative angular momentum provide a
natural description for a two dimensional electron gas in a strong magnetic
field. Two body operators take a simple form when expressed in terms of pair
creation and destruction operators. The pair formalism is applied to the study
of edge waves excitations. For $\nu=1$ the operators which create edge
excitations are identified and the role the interaction potential plays in the
long wavelength limit is clarified. This picture is claimed to describe also
edge excitations on the $\nu=1/m$ Laughlin states.
