What is the period and frequency of a wave? - GCSE or A-Level students may ask this

A wave could be transverse or longitudinal. We like to think in terms of whole waves. This is when a particle comes back to it's original position and direction of movement. For transverse waves, we can see it as a sine wave passing by (drawing difference between the wave passing and particle's motion). For longitudinal you may have to use your imagination a bit more... (hand motion and drawing) a particle goes up to an amplitude, down to a low amplitude and back to it's original position. That's a whole wave.Period:We can think of the period as the time taken for a single whole wave to pass any point. The time taken for all that, is the period, measured in...(asking the student to fill in the gap before me) secondsParticle goes up down up, 1 waveTime taken, secondsFrequency:Frequency is just how many times a wave passes in a second. measured in Hz or 1/show many times does particle go up down up? = How many waves occur?1 second

SP
Answered by Saabir P. Physics tutor

2342 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Describe how the strong nuclear force between two nucleons varies with the separation of the nucleons, quoting suitable values for separation.


There is a point between the Moon and the Earth where the gravitational attractions are equal and opposite. How much further is this point from the Earth than the Moon


Explain the difference between forced vibration and resonance in an oscillating object.


What is a moment?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning