Frequency Calculator

Determine the frequency

Calculating the frequency

The frequency of a wave or vibration is the number of times the wave or vibration passes by completely per second. The frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz). This is a unit equal to one cycle per second.

What is the formula for calculating frequency?

The formula to determine the frequency is

f = 1 / T

where 'f' is the frequency and 'T' is the period of the wave or vibration. The period is the time it takes for one complete cycle.

How does it work in practice?

Imagine you have a swing. As the swing goes back and forth, it does this in a certain amount of time. We call this time the period. If, for example, it takes 2 seconds for the swing to go from one extreme to the other and back again, then the period is 2 seconds.

To calculate the frequency, we divide 1 by the period. So in our example, we would divide 1 by 2 to get a frequency of 0.5 Hz. This means that the swing completes a full cycle half a time per second.