Question

What is the meaning of wavelength?

Answer 1

Wavelength is a property of waves. Waves are disturbances which oscillate between mean and extreme positions and also move forward in space. Wavelength is used to define the distance covered by a wave while moving forward in space. The wavelength also determines the kinetic energy of the particles of a wave.

Complete answer:
Waves can be described as periodic disturbances such that every particle of the wave oscillates between mean and extreme positions. Some properties which describe a wave are amplitude, wavelength, frequency, time period etc.
Wavelength is the distance travelled by a particle on the wave when it completes one oscillation. Metres ($m$) is the SI unit.
Amplitude is the maximum distance covered by the particle from its mean position.
The number of oscillations completed in unit time is known as frequency. Its SI unit is Hertz ($Hz$).
Time period is the time taken by a particle to complete one oscillation. Its SI unit is Seconds ($s$).
The wavelength can be calculated using the following relation
$\lambda =\dfrac{c}{\nu }$
Here, $\lambda$ is the wavelength
$c$ is the speed of light
$\nu$ is the frequency
From the above relation, the wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency.
Therefore, the wavelength is the distance travelled by a wave particle in one oscillation and it has an inverse relation with frequency.

Note:
Waves are of two main types; electromagnetic waves and transverse waves. Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to travel but transverse waves cannot travel without a medium. The speed of light is a constant and its value is $3\times {{10}^{8}}m{{s}^{-1}}$. The frequency is the reciprocal of time period.