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CHEM 121 Studioby Learn4Less · UBC CHEM 121

CHEM 121 glossary

Amplitude

The height of a wave measured from its midline. The intensity (brightness) of light is proportional to amplitude squared; amplitude does not change the colour, which is set by frequency.

Wavelength and amplitudeA sine wave. The wavelength λ is the distance between two neighbouring crests; the amplitude is the height of a crest above the centre line.wavelength λamplitudefrequency ν: waves passing a point per secondc = λν

Amplitude is the height of a crest above the midline.

Example

Doubling the amplitude of a light wave makes it 4 times as intense: 4 times as many photons per second, each with the same energy hνh\nu.

See alsoWavelengthFrequencyNode