frequency

Physics

(noun)

The quotient of the number of times (n) a periodic phenomenon occurs over a unit of time (t): f = n / t.

Related Terms

  • wave speed
  • doppler effect
  • angular frequency
  • transmitter
  • Hertz
  • media
  • interfere
  • superposition
  • classical physics
  • photon
  • wavelength
  • period

(noun)

The quotient of the number of times n a periodic phenomenon occurs over the time t in which it occurs: f = n / t.

Related Terms

  • wave speed
  • doppler effect
  • angular frequency
  • transmitter
  • Hertz
  • media
  • interfere
  • superposition
  • classical physics
  • photon
  • wavelength
  • period
Chemistry

(noun)

The number of vibrations per second.

Related Terms

  • electromagnetic
  • quantization
  • wave
  • amplitude
  • wavelength

(noun)

The number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time.

Related Terms

  • electromagnetic
  • quantization
  • wave
  • amplitude
  • wavelength
Biology

(noun)

characterized as a periodic vibration that is audible; property of sound that most determines pitch and is measured in hertz

Related Terms

  • ultrasound
  • amplitude
Statistics

(noun)

number of times an event occurred in an experiment (absolute frequency)

Related Terms

  • probability distribution
  • histogram

Examples of frequency in the following topics:

  • Cumulative Frequency Distributions

    • A cumulative frequency distribution displays a running total of all the preceding frequencies in a frequency distribution.
    • A cumulative frequency distribution is the sum of the class and all classes below it in a frequency distribution.
    • Rather than displaying the frequencies from each class, a cumulative frequency distribution displays a running total of all the preceding frequencies.
    • Constructing a cumulative frequency distribution is not that much different than constructing a regular frequency distribution.
    • The second column should be labeled Frequency.
  • Relative Frequency Distributions

    • To find the relative frequencies, divide each frequency by the total number of data points in the sample.
    • Relative frequency distributions is often displayed in histograms and in frequency polygons.
    • The only difference between a relative frequency distribution graph and a frequency distribution graph is that the vertical axis uses proportional or relative frequency rather than simple frequency.
    • Just like we use cumulative frequency distributions when discussing simple frequency distributions, we often use cumulative frequency distributions when dealing with relative frequency as well.
    • To find the cumulative relative frequencies, add all the previous relative frequencies to the relative frequency for the current row.
  • Frequency of Sound Waves

    • The perception of frequency is called pitch.
    • The perception of frequency is called pitch.
    • The SI unit of frequency is called a Hertz, denoted Hz.
    • Different species can hear different frequency ranges.
    • Three flashing lights, from lowest frequency (top) to highest frequency (bottom). f is the frequency in hertz (Hz); or the number of cycles per second.
  • Do It Yourself: Plotting Qualitative Frequency Distributions

    • Sometimes a relative frequency distribution is desired.
    • Bar graphs for relative frequency distributions are very similar to bar graphs for regular frequency distributions, except this time, the y-axis will be labeled with the relative frequency rather than just simply the frequency.
    • This pie chart shows the frequency distribution of a bag of Skittles.
    • This graph shows the relative frequency distribution of a bag of Skittles.
    • This graph shows the frequency distribution of a bag of Skittles.
  • Guidelines for Plotting Frequency Distributions

    • In statistics, the frequency (or absolute frequency) of an event is the number of times the event occurred in an experiment or study.
    • These frequencies are often graphically represented in histograms.
    • The relative frequency (or empirical probability) of an event refers to the absolute frequency normalized by the total number of events.
    • The height of a rectangle is also equal to the frequency density of the interval, i.e., the frequency divided by the width of the interval.
    • A histogram may also be normalized displaying relative frequencies.
  • Radio Waves

    • The lowest commonly encountered radio frequencies are produced by high-voltage AC power transmission lines at frequencies of 50 or 60 Hz.
    • In this case, a carrier wave having the basic frequency of the radio station (perhaps 105.1 MHz) is modulated in frequency by the audio signal, producing a wave of constant amplitude but varying frequency.
    • Other channels called UHF (ultra high frequency) utilize an even higher frequency range of 470 to 1000 MHz.
    • Frequency modulation for FM radio.
    • (a) A carrier wave at the station's basic frequency.
  • Period and Frequency

    • The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, while the frequency is the number of cycles per unit time.
    • The frequency is defined as the number of cycles per unit time.
    • Frequency is usually denoted by a Latin letter f or by a Greek letter ν (nu).
    • Note that period and frequency are reciprocals of each other .
    • Sinusoidal waves of various frequencies; the bottom waves have higher frequencies than those above.
  • Beats

    • The wave resulting from the superposition of two similar-frequency waves has a frequency that is the average of the two.
    • This wave fluctuates in amplitude, or beats, with a frequency called the beat frequency.
    • We can determine the beat frequency mathematically by adding two waves together.
    • One can also measure the beat frequency directly.
    • The number of beats per second, or the beat frequency, shows the difference in frequency between the two notes.
  • RLC Series Circuit: At Large and Small Frequencies; Phasor Diagram

    • Response of an RLC circuit depends on the driving frequency—at large enough frequencies, inductive (capacitive) term dominates.
    • Now, we will examine the system's response at limits of large and small frequencies.
    • At large enough frequencies $(\nu \gg \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi LC}})$, XL is much greater than XC.
    • The impedance Z at small frequencies $(\nu \ll \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi LC}})$ is dominated by the capacitive term, assuming that the frequency is high enough so that XC is much larger than R.
    • Distinguish behavior of RLC series circuits as large and small frequencies
  • Wavelength, Frequency, and Pitch

    • The word that musicians use for frequency is pitch.
    • The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency, and the higher the pitch, of the sound.
    • Instead of measuring frequencies, musicians name the pitches that they use most often.
    • (See Octaves and Diatonic Music and Tuning Systems for more on naming specific frequencies. ) These notes have frequencies (Have you heard of the "A 440" that is used as a tuning note?
    • So why should we bother talking about frequency, when musicians usually don't?
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.