Frequency and Waves

The frequency of a wave is the number of waves that pass through a point every second. In mathematical terms, frequency reflects the number of full vibration cycles performed by a particle of the medium in one unit of time. A commonly used unit for measuring frequency is the hertz (Hz), which is equivalent to the number of cycles per second. Hertz (symbol: Hz) is the SI unit for frequency. The word Hertz was chosen to honor Heinrich Rudolf Hertz for his contributions to the field of electromagnetism. Hertz expresses the number of waves in one second (1 Hertz = 1 wave per second).