9.4 Period and frequency

9.4 Period and frequency (ESACV)

Period

The period of a wave is the time taken by the wave to move one wavelength.

Frequency

The frequency of a wave is the number of wavelengths per second.

The period of a longitudinal wave is the time taken by the wave to move one wavelength. As for transverse waves, the symbol T is used to represent period and period is measured in seconds (\(\text{s}\)).

The frequency \(f\) of a wave is the number of wavelengths per second. Using this definition and the fact that the period is the time taken for \(\text{1}\) wavelength, we can define:

or alternately,