Zero crossings of the sine wave to trigger a monostable (pulse generator) is a way to determine

alternating current frequency. A fixed width pulse is generated for each cycle. Thus there are "n"
pulses per second, each with with a constant energy. The more pulses there are per second, the
more the energy. The pulses are integrated (filtered or averaged) to get a steady DC voltage
which is proportional to frequency. This voltage can then be displayed on an analogue or digital
voltmeter, indicating frequency. This method is more suitable than a direct counter, as it can get
good accuracy in a second or so