What is frequency in wave terms?

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Multiple Choice

What is frequency in wave terms?

Frequency is how often the wave repeats per unit time—the number of complete wave cycles that pass a fixed point each second. It’s measured in hertz. The frequency is the reciprocal of the period, f = 1/T. In a given medium, the wave speed v relates to wavelength λ by v = fλ, so increasing frequency (with speed fixed) shortens the wavelength. The distance between wave crests is the wavelength, not the frequency. The amplitude is how tall the wave is, not how often it repeats. If you’re thinking about photons, energy per photon E = hf, but that ties frequency to energy in quantum terms, not to the basic wave description.

Frequency is how often the wave repeats per unit time—the number of complete wave cycles that pass a fixed point each second. It’s measured in hertz. The frequency is the reciprocal of the period, f = 1/T. In a given medium, the wave speed v relates to wavelength λ by v = fλ, so increasing frequency (with speed fixed) shortens the wavelength. The distance between wave crests is the wavelength, not the frequency. The amplitude is how tall the wave is, not how often it repeats. If you’re thinking about photons, energy per photon E = hf, but that ties frequency to energy in quantum terms, not to the basic wave description.

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