Frequency
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Revision as of 03:00, 18 December 2010 by Thomas Larsen (talk | contributions)
Frequency is a property of an oscillation, vibration, or other regularly-repeating (cyclic) phenomenon. The frequency of such a phenomenon is the number of repetitions (cycles) in a unit of time. In the SI system of units, frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz), the number of repetitions in one second.
The frequency ( f ) of vibrations is inversely proportional to wavelength ( λ ), which is a length measurement:
, where c is the speed of propagation of waves in the medium, or, for electromagnetic radiation, c = 299 792 458 m/s, the speed of light.
In electromagnetic radiation, the energy of the vibration is proportional to the frequency:
, where h = 6.626 x 10-34 J•s (Planck's constant)
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