frequency

https://glossary.acousti.cloud/frequency

"The number of cycles or oscillations per unit time in a periodic system." [1]

"The repetition rate of the cycles of an oscillation (e.g. a sound wave). The frequency of audible sound waves is perceived by human ears as the pitch of the sound." [2]

"The rate of repetition of the cycles in a periodic quantity. The reciprocal of the period. The unit is the cycle per second (in Europe, the Hertz: 1 c/s = 1 Hz). By extension applied to recurring quantities even when successive cycles are not identical. In bio-acoustics, there is some tendency to reserve the term for the spectral components of the elementary wave-form alone, a useful expedient for avoiding the all-too-easy confusion of these with other periodicities (such as the tooth-impact rate); periodicity and rate themselves are convenient terms for these latter." [3]

References:

Ewing AW. Arthropod Bioacoustics: Neurobiology and Behaviour. Ithaca, New York: Comstock; 1989.
Ragge DR, Reynolds WJ. The Songs of the Grasshoppers and Crickets of Western Europe. Colchester, Essex: Harley Books; 1998.
Broughton WB. Glossarial Index. In: Acoustic Behavior of Animals. Elsevier; 1963.; Lewis et al. (2021), Conservation Biology, glossary of specialist terms. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13465; Erbe et al. (2022), Exploring Animal Behavior Through Sound, Terms and Definitions. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97540-1_4

Related terms

Synonym

cycles per second