Applying Analytics

100 Applying Analytics: A Practical Introduction

full oscillatio n takes to complete; this quantity is known as the period

, P , for

oscillations in time or the wavelength, λ, for oscillations in space. The relation

between these quantities and a wave’s frequency is given by:

ν =

1

λ

or ν =

1

P

, (5.20)

with the first relationship applying to oscillations in distance and the second

to o scillations in time.

Waves are also characterized by their amplitude

, or strength, A. In the

simple wave function, amplitude enters as a multiplicative factor in fro nt of the

wave’s equation: ψ(x) = A cos(2πνx). The units of amplitude are essentially

unrestricted.

For many wa ...