What is wavelength?

What is wavelength?

• A. The frequency of the wave
• B. The amplitude
• C. The distance between two adjacent high points of an energy wave
• D. The speed

Answer: (C)

Wavelength is the spatial length of one complete cycle of a wave—the distance over which the wave’s pattern repeats as it travels. You can picture it as the distance from one crest to the next crest (or from one trough to the next trough). That is exactly what’s being described by the statement about the distance between two adjacent high points. The other terms describe different aspects: frequency is how many cycles occur each second, amplitude is how tall the wave peaks are, and speed is how far the wave travels per second (and is related to wavelength through v = fλ, but it’s not the spatial distance of one cycle itself).

Wavelength is the spatial length of one complete cycle of a wave—the distance over which the wave’s pattern repeats as it travels. You can picture it as the distance from one crest to the next crest (or from one trough to the next trough). That is exactly what’s being described by the statement about the distance between two adjacent high points. The other terms describe different aspects: frequency is how many cycles occur each second, amplitude is how tall the wave peaks are, and speed is how far the wave travels per second (and is related to wavelength through v = fλ, but it’s not the spatial distance of one cycle itself).