Wave Motion - Mission WM2 Detailed Help

A wave is present in a slinky. A coil of the slinky makes 12 complete up and down cycles of vibration in 4 seconds. The period of this wave is _____ and the frequency is _____.


 
The reciprocal nature of frequency (f) and period (T) are seen in the following mathematical definitions.

f = # of cycles / time          T = amount of time / cycle


 
A wave is a periodic and repeating event which reoccurs in a regular time pattern. Particles of the medium vibrate back-and-forth in a regular time pattern. The frequency of the wave describes how often they vibrate - the number of vibrations per second. And the period of the wave describes the time elapsed between vibrations - the time required for a particle of the medium to complete its vibration. Typical units for frequency are waves per second or Hertz; typical units of period are seconds (or some unit of time).