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Wave Frequency Imagine making transverse waves in a rope. You tie one end of the rope to a doorknob and move the other end of the rope up and down with your hand. You can move the rope up and down slowly or quickly. How quickly you move the rope determines the frequency of the waves. Wave frequency is the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time, such as one second. Wave frequency can be measured by counting the number of crests or compressions that pass the point in the given time. The higher the number is, the greater is the frequency of the wave. The SI unit for wave frequency is the hertz (Hz), where 1 hertz equals 1 wave passing a fixed point in 1 second. The frequency of a wave is the same as the frequency of the vibrations that caused the wave. For example, to generate a higher-frequency wave in a rope, you must move the rope up and down more quickly. This takes more energy, so a higher-frequency wave has more energy than a lower-frequency wave with the same amplitude.
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