frequency

a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | z

Click one of the letters above to advance the page to terms beginning with that letter.

frequencysearch for term: The number of oscillations, or cycles, within one second. Frequency refers to anything that exhibits the properties of a wave. For example, sound waves are produced when a piano or guitar string vibrates; when this happens at a frequency of 440 times per second, we hear the specific musical note middle C. Likewise, a "vibrating" electron emits electromagnetic waves. When the electron vibrates about 600 thousand billion times in one second, it emits green light.

Ocean waves also have frequencies that you can measure by counting the number of times a floating buoy bobs up and down. With a stop-watch, count the bobs for one minute (one "bob" = one cycle), then divide by 60 to calculate the frequency of the buoy in bobs per second (cycles per second).