I.

Terms Related to Alternating Waves

• Alternating waves – a wave that varies in magnitude and direction periodically.

• Amplitude – the maximum value (either positive or negative) which an alternating quantity attains
during one complete cycle.

• Alternation – equal to one-half of a cycle

• Frequency – number of cycles made per second or Hertz by an alternating wave. Named after the
German Physicist, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1886-1888)

• Instantaneous value – magnitude of an alternating quantity at any instant of time

• Time period – time in seconds needed by an alternating quantity to complete one cycle

1
T=
f