The Wave Nature of Light
Wave properties are described by two interdependent variables:
Frequency: n (nu) = the number of cycles the wave undergoes
per second (units of s-1 or hertz (Hz)) (cycles/s)
Wavelength: l (lambda) = the distance between any point on a
wave and a corresponding point on the next wave (the distance
the wave travels during one cycle) (units of meters (m), nanometers
(10-9 m), picometers (10-12 m) or angstroms (Å, 10-10 m) per cycle)
(m/cycle)
Speed of a wave = cycles/s x m/cycle = m/s
c = speed of light in a vacuum = nl = 3.00 x 108 m/s
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