If many crests pass a fixed point per second, what property is described?

If many crests pass a fixed point per second, what property is described?

• A. Frequency
• B. Wavelength
• C. Amplitude
• D. Speed

Answer: (A)

The rate at which crests pass a fixed point measures how often the wave repeats over time. That is frequency. Frequency counts the number of cycles (crests) per second, and its unit is hertz (Hz). So when many crests pass per second, you’re describing a high frequency. Wavelength is the spatial distance between crests, amplitude is the height of the crests, and speed is how fast the wave travels, which relates to frequency and wavelength by v = fλ. If 20 crests pass each second, the frequency is 20 Hz.

The rate at which crests pass a fixed point measures how often the wave repeats over time. That is frequency. Frequency counts the number of cycles (crests) per second, and its unit is hertz (Hz). So when many crests pass per second, you’re describing a high frequency. Wavelength is the spatial distance between crests, amplitude is the height of the crests, and speed is how fast the wave travels, which relates to frequency and wavelength by v = fλ. If 20 crests pass each second, the frequency is 20 Hz.