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Wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a wave
pattern and is commonly designated by the Greek letter lambda:
In a sine wave, the wavelength
is the distance between peaks. The x axis represents distance,
and "I" would be some varying quantity (for instance air
pressure for a sound wave or strength of an electromagnetic
field for light or percent interactivity for
phased materials) at a given point in time as a function
of x. |
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Wavelength commonly has an inverse
relationship to
frequency,
the number of peaks to pass a point in a given time. The
wavelength is equal to the speed of the wave divided by the
frequency
of the wave. When dealing with realspace
electromagnetic
radiation in a vacuum, this speed is c. |
