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Wavelength vs. Period — What's the Difference?

Wavelength vs. Period — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Wavelength and Period

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Wavelength

In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. 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.

Period

An interval of time characterized by the occurrence of a certain condition, event, or phenomenon
A period of economic prosperity.

Wavelength

The distance between one peak of a wave to the next corresponding peak, or between any two adjacent corresponding points, defined as the speed of a wave divided by its frequency.

Period

An interval of time characterized by the prevalence of a specified culture, ideology, or technology
Artifacts of the pre-Columbian period.

Wavelength

(physics) The length of a single cycle of a wave, as measured by the distance between one peak or trough of a wave and the next; it is often designated in physics as λ, and corresponds to the velocity of the wave divided by its frequency.
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Period

An interval regarded as a distinct evolutionary or developmental phase
Picasso's early career is divided into his blue period and rose period.

Wavelength

(figurative) A person's attitude and way of thinking as compared to another person's.
I think you and I are on a different wavelength.

Period

(Geology) A unit of time, longer than an epoch and shorter than an era.

Wavelength

The distance (measured in the direction of propagation) between two points in the same phase in consecutive cycles of a wave

Period

Any of the divisions of the academic day.

Wavelength

A shared orientation leading to mutual understanding;
They are on the same wavelength

Period

Sports & Games A division of the playing time of a game.

Period

Physics & Astronomy The time interval between two successive occurrences of a recurrent event or phases of an event; a cycle
The period of a satellite's orbit.

Period

See menstrual period.

Period

A point or portion of time at which something is ended; a completion or conclusion.

Period

A punctuation mark ( . ) indicating a full stop, placed at the end of declarative sentences and other statements thought to be complete, and after many abbreviations.

Period

The full pause at the end of a spoken sentence.

Period

A sentence of several carefully balanced clauses in formal writing.

Period

A metrical unit of quantitative verse consisting of two or more cola.

Period

An analogous unit or division of classical Greek or Latin prose.

Period

(Music) A group of two or more phrases within a composition, often made up of 8 or 16 measures and terminating with a cadence.

Period

The least interval in the range of the independent variable of a periodic function of a real variable in which all possible values of the dependent variable are assumed.

Period

A group of digits separated by commas in a written number.

Period

The number of digits that repeat in a repeating decimal. For example, 1/7 = 0.142857142857 ... has a six-digit period.

Period

(Chemistry) A sequence of elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number and forming one of the horizontal rows in the periodic table.

Period

Of, belonging to, or representing a certain historical age or time
A period piece.
Period furniture.

Period

Used to emphasize finality, as when expressing a decision or an opinion
You're not going to the movies tonight, period!.

Period

A length of time.
There was a period of confusion following the announcement.
You'll be on probation for a six-month period.

Period

A period of time in history seen as a single coherent entity; an epoch, era.
Food rationing continued in the post-war period.

Period

The punctuation mark “.” (indicating the ending of a sentence or marking an abbreviation).

Period

(figurative) A decisive end to something; a stop.

Period

The length of time during which the same characteristics of a periodic phenomenon recur, such as the repetition of a wave or the rotation of a planet.

Period

(euphemism) Female menstruation; an episode of this.
When she is on her period, she prefers not to go swimming.

Period

A section of an artist's, writer's (etc.) career distinguished by a given quality, preoccupation etc.
This is one of the last paintings Picasso created during his Blue Period.

Period

Each of the divisions into which a school day is split, allocated to a given subject or activity.
I have math class in second period.

Period

Each of the intervals, typically three, of which a game is divided.
Gretzky scored in the last minute of the second period.

Period

One or more additional intervals to decide a tied game, an overtime period.
They won in the first overtime period.

Period

The length of time for a disease to run its course.

Period

An end or conclusion; the final point of a process etc.

Period

(rhetoric) A complete sentence, especially one expressing a single thought or making a balanced, rhythmic whole.

Period

(obsolete) A specific moment during a given process; a point, a stage.

Period

(chemistry) A row in the periodic table of the elements.

Period

(geology) A geochronologic unit of millions to tens of millions of years; a subdivision of an era, and subdivided into epochs.
These fossils are from the Jurassic period.

Period

(genetics) A Drosophila gene, the gene product of which is involved in regulation of the circadian rhythm.

Period

(music) Two phrases (an antecedent and a consequent phrase).

Period

(math) The length of an interval over which a periodic function, periodic sequence or repeating decimal repeats; often the least such length.

Period

(archaic) End point, conclusion.

Period

Designating anything from a given historical era. en
A period car
A period TV commercial

Period

Evoking, or appropriate for, a particular historical period, especially through the use of elaborate costumes and scenery.

Period

That's final; that's the end of the matter (analogous to a period ending a sentence); end of story.
I know you don't want to go to the dentist, but your teeth need to be checked, period!

Period

To come to a period; to conclude.

Period

To put an end to.

Period

A portion of time as limited and determined by some recurring phenomenon, as by the completion of a revolution of one of the heavenly bodies; a division of time, as a series of years, months, or days, in which something is completed, and ready to recommence and go on in the same order; as, the period of the sun, or the earth, or a comet.

Period

A stated and recurring interval of time; more generally, an interval of time specified or left indefinite; a certain series of years, months, days, or the like; a time; a cycle; an age; an epoch; as, the period of the Roman republic.
How by art to make plants more lasting than their ordinary period.

Period

One of the great divisions of geological time; as, the Tertiary period; the Glacial period. See the Chart of Geology.

Period

The termination or completion of a revolution, cycle, series of events, single event, or act; hence, a limit; a bound; an end; a conclusion.
So spake the archangel Michael; then paused,As at the world's great period.
Evils which shall never end till eternity hath a period.
This is the period of my ambition.

Period

A complete sentence, from one full stop to another; esp., a well-proportioned, harmonious sentence.
Periods are beautiful when they are not too long.

Period

The punctuation point [.] that marks the end of a complete sentence, or of an abbreviated word.

Period

One of several similar sets of figures or terms usually marked by points or commas placed at regular intervals, as in numeration, in the extraction of roots, and in circulating decimals.

Period

The time of the exacerbation and remission of a disease, or of the paroxysm and intermission.

Period

A complete musical sentence.

Period

To put an end to.

Period

To come to a period; to conclude. [Obs.] "You may period upon this, that," etc.

Period

An amount of time;
A time period of 30 years
Hastened the period of time of his recovery
Picasso's blue period

Period

One of three periods of play in hockey games

Period

A stage in the history of a culture having a definable place in space and time;
A novel from the Victorian period

Period

The interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon

Period

The monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause;
The women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation
A woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped
The semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females

Period

A punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations;
In England they call a period a stop

Period

A unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed;
Ganoid fishes swarmed during the earlier geological periods

Period

The end or completion of something;
Death put a period to his endeavors
A change soon put a period to my tranquility

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