wavelength
Distance between corresponding points of two consecutive waves. “Corresponding points” refers to two points or particles that have completed identical fractions of their periodic motion. In transverse waves, wavelength is measured from crest to crest or from trough to trough. In longitudinal waves, it is measured from compression to compression or from rarefaction to rarefaction. Wavelength, λ, is equal to the speed v of a wave in a medium divided by its frequency f, or λ = v/f.
wavelength
The distance between crests of a wave. The wavelength determines the nature of the various forms of radiant energy that comprise the electromagnetic spectrum. For electromagnetic waves, the wavelength in meters is computed by the speed of light divided by frequency (300,000,000/Hz). For sound waves, the wavelength is determined by 335/Hz. See optical bands.
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| Length of a Wave |
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| The wavelength is the distance between crests. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength. |
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| Wavelengths of Visible Light |
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| The wavelengths of light that humans can see range from approximately 400 nm to 750 nm. |
wavelength
wavelength [′wāv‚leŋkth]
Wavelength
The distance between two points on a wave which have the same value and the same rate of change of the value of a parameter, for example, electric intensity, characterizing the wave. The wavelength, usually designated by the Greek letter λ, is equal to the speed of propagation c of the wave divided by the frequency of vibration f; that is, λ = c/f (see illustration). See Wave (physics), Wave motion
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