Wavelength depends on the medium (for example, vacuum, air, or water) that a wave travels through. Īssuming a sinusoidal wave moving at a fixed wave speed, wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency of the wave: waves with higher frequencies have shorter wavelengths, and lower frequencies have longer wavelengths.

The term wavelength is also sometimes applied to modulated waves, and to the sinusoidal envelopes of modulated waves or waves formed by interference of several sinusoids. Wavelength is commonly designated by the Greek letter lambda (λ). The inverse of the wavelength is called the spatial frequency. It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a characteristic of both traveling waves and standing waves, as well as other spatial wave patterns. In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave-the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. The wavelength of a sine wave, λ, can be measured between any two points with the same phase, such as between crests (on top), or troughs (on bottom), or corresponding zero crossings as shown.

Ozone 9 standard