Define frequency as the number of waves passing a point each second.

Frequency describes how many complete waves pass a fixed point every second and is measured in hertz. A frequency of 8 Hz means eight wave cycles pass the point each second. This definition should be kept separate from period, which is the time for one complete wave, and from wavelength, which is the distance between matching points. On a graph or oscilloscope trace, closer cycles usually mean a higher frequency. Within the subtopic Properties of waves in Waves in air, fluids and solids, the explanation is anchored to frequency, second and uses those terms in the approved AQA GCSE Physics Waves context.