What is Wave frequency: Definition and 39 Discussions

Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as temporal frequency to emphasize the contrast to spatial frequency, and ordinary frequency to emphasize the contrast to angular frequency. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is equal to one event per second. The period is the duration of time of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency. For example: if a newborn baby's heart beats at a frequency of 120 times a minute (2 hertz), its period, T—the time interval between beats—is half a second (60 seconds divided by 120 beats). Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio signals (sound), radio waves, and light.

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  1. L

    Wave frequency, medium and temperature

    Hi hi, I'm looking into how temperature affects waves, but I don't know too much about this, in how temperature mixes with all of this, I have this questions: We have a particle vibrating at frequency ##f## at a certain temperature ##t_p##, and a medium with other temperature ##t_m1##. If the...
  2. A

    Clear formula for water penetration by wave frequency

    I want a clear formula for clear water (and salty water) penetration by giving only the radio wave frequency . I searched the web , the formulas on the web are so complicated . Are there any simple formula available for that ?
  3. N

    Constructive Interference in Coherent Antenna Arrays

    Homework Statement A radio transmitting station operating at a frequency f=100 MHz has two identical antennas that radiate in phase (in other words, coherent with respect to each other). Antenna B is 10 m to the right of antenna A. Consider the point P between the antennas, and along the line...
  4. F

    Find the phase velocity of the wave (Plasma Physics)

    Homework Statement An electromagnetic wave with the frequency f = 1.4 GHz is propagating in the z-direction from vacuum in a plasma with the magnetic field B_0 = 0.1T z^. The plasma density is 1.0*10^17 particles/m^3. The wave is the separated into a R- and L-wave in the plasma. Homework...
  5. V

    Experiment to measure EM waves

    Okay, let me prelude this by saying I only have an -EXTREMELY- limited understanding of classical physics, and zero knowledge of quantum mechanics. This is really just my asking a few questions in regards to an idea I had for an experiment, and what would be a good and accurate way to...
  6. T

    Why Does a Single Sine Wave Show Multiple Frequencies on a dB Graph?

    So I am just working with a synth and I am having it create a single sine wave. I am then looking at the output on a db vs frequency graph and I would expect the db to only be reading at the frequency of that sine wave, but there are readings from 20 Hz all the way to 2k Hz sometimes(althought...
  7. MisterH

    A Difference of WMA & EMA on a sinusoid becomes superposed?

    This is about signal processing, moving averages & superposed / standing waves. This is an online system: causal (univariate) time series analysis. Suppose you have a sinusoid of period n (i.e. n=40, so its frequency is 0.025). If you calculate a "weighted moving average" (WMA) on this sinusoid...
  8. Theudius

    Does Frequency Change in a Medium?

    Hi I was told by physics lecturer that both the wave speed and wave length of light changes when it enters a medium, however I questioned this stating that if both wave speed and wave length changed then frequency must also according to the formula c = fλ. He stated that "frequency is energy...
  9. harini07

    A question about wave motion and beat frequency

    Homework Statement 3 tuning forks of frequencies 200, 203, 207 Hz are sounded together.find out the beat frequency. Homework Equations Beat frequency= n1-n2 (n=frequency). The Attempt at a Solution I know that beat frequency is the difference in the frequencies of two superposing notes. But...
  10. Phil Freihofner

    I Standing wave in cylindar vs cone

    I have been trying to understand why two woodwind bore shapes behave so differently. My understanding is that one end of a woodwind is an antinode (driven by the reed of the instrument) and the other end is a node (where the tube is open to the atmosphere). a - - - - - - - - - - n In the...
  11. F

    The reciprocal relationship between frequency and period

    I was asked by a friend to explain why the frequency, ##f## and period, ##T## of a wave. The initial explanation I gave to them was as follows: Heuristically, the period of a wave is defined as ##T=\frac{\text{number of units time}}{\text{cycle}}##, and its frequency as ##f=\frac{\text{number...
  12. P

    What is the equation for electromagnetic wave frequency?

    Hi there When a charge is accelerated it produces electromagnetic radiation. I was wondering if anyone knew the equation relating the frequency of emitted radiation to the size of the charge and the value of the acceleration. My understanding is that it relates to Maxwell's equations, but I was...
  13. darkmamon

    What happens when sound wave loses energy?

    I'm a high school student doing the project about sound absorbing material When the sound is absorbed or loses its energy which of its value will change? pressure? wavelength? or frequency? (at first I though that the sound wave will just lose its amplitude but after the result,It look like its...
  14. S

    Wave frequency and propagation attenuation

    In my memory, the wave frequency will decrease because the attenuation in wave propagation, is that true? Can someone please give me some links to prove or disprove it? thanks
  15. Shahab Mirza

    How to interpret this Wave Equation (Derivation) Help ?

    Hi dear people , Hello I waw studying super position of two Sound Waves , traveling in same medium with same frequency , same wavelength and same amplitude while differing in phase . quick derivation : Wave 1 displacement y1= A sin (kx-vt ) and wave 2 displacement y2= A sin (kx-vt-phase...
  16. D

    Exploring Doppler Shift: How Motion Affects Wave Frequency

    Hello to everyone! First I would like to go through one simple example: We have two bodies. One is wave source, other is wave receiver. In this example they are positioned like this: (source) O=====> (receiver) O=====> Distance between them is always 1000 m. Let's say that the waves are...
  17. LaLaLina

    Frequency of Oscillation, with mass and k value given

    Homework Statement A mass m = 2.0 kg is attached to a spring having a force constant k = 990 N/m as in the figure. The mass is displaced from its equilibrium position and released. Its frequency of oscillation (in Hz) is approximately _____ . [/B] Homework Equations...
  18. P

    Why does wave speed affect wavelength but not frequency?

    Hi! I was having some difficulty understanding this concept. If you know how many times per second a wave passes by a point (aka frequency) doesn't that basically say how fast it is? I understand how 2 waves, one with a short wavelength and one with a long wavelength can have the same speed...
  19. H

    Relation between photons and EM wave frequency

    Do individual photons have some attributes which relate to EM wave frequency? In other words, is there any difference in photons composing a red and blue beam of light?
  20. D

    Electomagnetic wave frequency and photons

    If i calculate the frequency of light with λ = 600nm ... Frequency (v) = c/λ = 49.9654 x 1012 Hz (waves per second) Can i say this is the frequency of photons i.e. 49.9654 x 1012 Hz (waves per second) Thanks DD
  21. N

    Max. sound wave frequency (in solids)?

    I know, theoretically ultrasound has no upper limit (everything above 20kHz).. However, I was wondering whether on a practical note a maximum exists? I read somewhere that frequencies of the order 10^12 Hz were reached. Would a maximum frequency be based on the mean free path between the...
  22. FeDeX_LaTeX

    Exploring the Fastest Wave Frequency: Is There a Limit Beyond Gamma Rays?"

    Hello; What is the fastest possible wave frequency? And is it possible for there to be a frequency faster than the frequency of a gamma ray? What has happened to humans subjected to wave frequencies higher than gamma rays? Thanks.
  23. M

    Carrier wave frequency spectrum

    Homework Statement The Attempt at a Solution The carrier wave is by inspection 0.5 + cos(10\pi*t) and the other would be 1.5*sin(60\pi*t). I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to graph for the second part, the frequency spectrum. Any help?
  24. D

    Help Needed: Wave Frequency & Wavelength vs. Air Temp

    A sound wave in air has a frequency of 500 Hz and a wavelength of .68 m. What is the air temperature? * -18 degrees C * 0 degrees C * 15 degrees C * 27 degrees CI can't find an equation for this, and I don't know how to solve it. Anyone know anything about this? Please help me. Thanks.
  25. P

    What is the frequency of a sound wave traveling through air in a tube?

    Homework Statement A sound wave of the form s = sm cos(kx - ωt + φ) travels at 347 m/s through air in a long horizontal tube. At one instant, air molecule A at x = 2.04 m is at its maximum positive displacement of 6.40 nm and air molecule B at x = 2.08 m is at a positive displacement of 2.10...
  26. O

    Maximun wave frequency calculation

    Hi, every boby If we consider the fomula E=h*v and v=E/h . There should be no limit to the value of v as E can be very hight. Any way gamma ray is the upper limit known today. Does frequencies higher than gamma ray exist ? Is there a formula for the calculation of this limit ? Let me know.
  27. T

    Calculating Wave Frequency for Boat Moving Westward

    Homework Statement Ocean waves traveling to the east at speed of 4 m/s. the distance between the crests is 20 m. With what frequency do the waves hit the front of a boat moving westward at a speed of 1 m/s? 2. The attempt at a solution Does the speed of the wave is added or subtracted from the...
  28. J

    Square Wave Frequency Doubler using Op-Amps

    Hello All, Here is my challenge. I have an idea to build a square wave frequency doubler circuit using nothing but op-amps. The idea is to make a circuit that can exactly double the frequency of a 50% duty cycle square wave input of variable frequency, and produce a 50% duty square wave of...
  29. T

    Understanding Wave Frequency and Tension: V=fλ vs V=√T/μ

    Homework Statement I do not understand the difference between v=f \lambda and v=\sqrt{T/\mu} If a string is vibrated twice the frequency but the same tension as previous. Would the speed of the wave doubled?
  30. D

    Does doubling the frequency of a wave source double the speed of the waves?

    Homework Statement Does doubling the frequency of a wave source double the speed of the waves as according to the wave equation because one of my sources says that this is false. Homework Equations Speed = Wavelength • Frequency
  31. Y

    3d rossby wave frequency dispersion relation

    Homework Statement Consider the linearized, quasi-geostrophic vorticity equation on the beta-plane, with a mean background flow umean , which allows for vertical structure and propagation of Rossby waves: (d/dt+umean*d/dx)=(nabla2 ψ+(f02/N2)*(d2 ψ/dz2)+bv where ψ is the horizontal...
  32. G

    Calculating Wave Frequency from Source and Receiver Measurements

    Homework Statement A wave source approaches you at constant speed and you measure a wave frequency f1. As the source passes and then recedes, you measure frequency f2. Find the expression for the frequency emitted if the source were stationary in terms of f1, f2, and wave speed v...
  33. X

    Understanding the Cosine Wave Frequency Domain

    So...a cosine wave when shown in the frequency domain is represented by a 1/2 magnitude vector at the positive frequency and a 1/2 magnitude vector at the negative frequency. I am surprised by this because I cannot understand why a vector of magnitude 1 at the positive frequency of the cosine...
  34. B

    Calculating Wave Frequency in 1 min: 8.0m & 2.0m/s

    Homework Statement The wavelength of a water wave is 8.0m and its speed is 2.0m/s. How many waves will pass a pixed point in the water in 1.0min? Homework Equations V =f(lambda) The Attempt at a Solution As far as I got was that 1.0 min = 60 seconds. From there, I am totally lost.
  35. F

    Solving Wave Frequency & Speed: Questions & Answers

    I got this question, A wave with a frequency of 10 hertz moves at 360 m/s. Part (a) What is the wavelength of the wave? Part (b) What is the period of the wave? I treated this as a deep water wave, and used the equations, c2 = gl/(2pi) w2 = gk c = w/k to find the wavelength and...
  36. E

    Wave Frequency Change: Why Does Velocity Not Increase?

    So in the case where the wave source is moving towards a stationary observer, the observer will observe a frequency f' where f'=f(v/(v-vs)) f= frequency of wave v=velocity of wave vs=velocity of source moving towards observer I understand that the increase in observed frequency is caused...
  37. P

    Finding wave frequency by using a strobe

    I've learned about finding wave frequency by using a strobe. The book suggest that we first find out the frequency by the "frozen" properties. I think this method is rather inaccurate. If I am carrying out the experiment, I would first find the wavelength and the velocity. Do you ?
  38. D

    Daniel's Inquiry into Electron Position Energy and EM Wave Frequency

    Hi, I wonder how the electron's position energy reflects the electro magnetic wave's frequency. Daniel
  39. wasteofo2

    Why does sound wave frequency not decrease over distance?

    I've been reading about the physics of sound. Perhaps I'm just reading an overly simplified version of the truth, but it would seem to me that as the particles of the medium sound is traveling through compress and expand, inevitably bumping into each other, that they would loose some kinetic...
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