A complete turn of events. When an object vibrates, the movement from its initial position to a point of maximum displacement in one direction, followed by movement to a point of maximum displacement in the opposite direction and a return to its initial position is called one cycle.
The time taken by one cycle is called a PERIOD and the number of cycles per second is the FREQUENCY.
Compare: OSCILLATION, PHASE, SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION, SOUND PRESSURE, SOUND WAVE, VIBRATION, WAVEFORM, WAVELENGTH.
See TEMPO for diagrams and discussion of daily and annual acoustic cycles.
Graph of pressure or amplitude versus time of a complex wave showing cyclic repetition.
Spatial variation of pressure showing stylized COMPRESSION and RAREFACTION of molecules, such as those in air.
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