What term is defined as the number of cycles in a wave occurring in one second?

What term is defined as the number of cycles in a wave occurring in one second?

• A. Frequency
• B. Amplitude
• C. Dispersion
• D. Fundamental frequency

Answer: (A)

Frequency is the rate at which wave cycles pass a point each second, measured in hertz. It tells you how many crests occur every second, and it is the reciprocal of the period (the time for one cycle). In ultrasound, frequency relates to resolution and penetration because the speed of sound in tissue equals the frequency times the wavelength (c = f × λ); higher frequency yields shorter wavelength, improving axial resolution but reducing depth penetration due to greater attenuation. The other terms describe different ideas: amplitude is the wave’s strength or height, dispersion is the spread of different frequencies at different speeds causing pulse broadening, and the fundamental frequency is the lowest frequency component of a waveform or system, not the general rate of cycles per second.

Frequency is the rate at which wave cycles pass a point each second, measured in hertz. It tells you how many crests occur every second, and it is the reciprocal of the period (the time for one cycle). In ultrasound, frequency relates to resolution and penetration because the speed of sound in tissue equals the frequency times the wavelength (c = f × λ); higher frequency yields shorter wavelength, improving axial resolution but reducing depth penetration due to greater attenuation. The other terms describe different ideas: amplitude is the wave’s strength or height, dispersion is the spread of different frequencies at different speeds causing pulse broadening, and the fundamental frequency is the lowest frequency component of a waveform or system, not the general rate of cycles per second.