A wave-cycle is the complete up-and-down motion of a wave, from one crest (peak) to the next crest, or from one trough (dip) to the next trough. Visualize a wave cycle as a series of points plotted along the path of a wave from one crest to the subsequent crest.
- All electromagnetic waves have common characteristics like crests, troughs,, wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and propagation direction.
- As a wave vibrates, a wave-cycle can be seen as a sequence of individual vibrations, measured from one peak to the next, one trough to the next, or from the start of one wave cycle to the start of the next.
- A wave-cycle refers to the path from one point on a wave during a single oscillation to the same point on completion of that oscillation.
- Wavelength meanwhile, is a measurement of the same phenomenon but in a straight line along the axis of the wave.