units for frequency and wavelength [ENDORSED]

[megangeorge-1K]

what are the proper units for frequency and wavelength?

Thank You!

[LilianKhosravi_1H]

proper unit for frequency is Hertz (Hz) which is cycles per second (s^-1) and for wavelength it's usually m (or nm) but it depends on the question because it can ask for the wavelength in a particular unit.

[megangeorge-1K]

thank you!

[Anthony Mercado 1K]

Would a typical question ask one to find both the frequency and the wavelength, and if so, what order would they need to found in?

[Brynne Keyser 1B]

As others have said, frequency is measured in Hertz, or cycles per second. Wavelength is measured in meters.

Hope this helps!

[Beverly Shih 1K]

I have seen questions that asked for both frequency and wavelengths, or just one. If you have one but not the other, it is easy enough to convert between frequency and wavelength using v = c/lambda, so it doesn't really matter which order you find them.

[EllenRenskoff-1C]

On a related note, when we are showing the answer for a wavelength, should it always be in meters? For some questions in the solution manual, the final answer is written in nanometers. Does it matter which one we use for the final answer?

[Emma Leshan 1B]

I believe it's preferred for very small wavelengths such as ones in the visible region to be written in nanometers, but you won't get points off for writing it in meters.

[Melissa_Aguirre1J]

Frequency is measured in Hertz or 1/sec (The units for Frequency is Hertz). The units for wavelength are meters.

[Adrienne B 1J]

Frequency is in Hz (1/second) and wavelength is denoted by "lambda" and is measured in meters