Frequency |
Frequency is the number of times a wave repeats itself. In other words, how fast a wave vibrates in a pattern.
It is measured in Hertz, which equals to one cycle per second. The frequencies of waves most commonly use these units: KHz- Kilohertz (one thousand Hertz) , MHz- Megahertz (one million Hertz), GHz- Gigahertz (one billion Hertz) It is directly related to the amount of information it can carry per unit of time, meaning the higher the frequency, the more information can be contained within the wave. |
Wavelength |
The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two corresponding points of a wave. Basically, the length between two consecutive peaks in a wave pattern.
It is measured in metres and are commonly expressed as: km- Kilometres (one thousand metres), cm- centimetres (one hundredth of a metre), mm- millimetres (one thousandth of a metre), nm- nanometres (one billionth of a metre) |
Other characteristics |
EM waves are transverse waves, meaning they oscillate(vibrate up and down) at right angles(transversely) to the direction it is travelling.
Unlike longidtudinal waves(waves that vibrate in particles), they do not need a medium to travel in, meaning that EM waves can travel through empty space at the speed of light. |