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frequency - 6 dictionary results

fre⋅quen⋅cy

  [free-kwuhn-see]
Use frequency in a Sentence
–noun, plural -cies.
1. Also, frequence. the state or fact of being frequent; frequent occurrence: We are alarmed by the frequency of fires in the neighborhood.
2. rate of occurrence: The doctor has increased the frequency of his visits.
3. Physics.
a. the number of periods or regularly occurring events of any given kind in unit of time, usually in one second.
b. the number of cycles or completed alternations per unit time of a wave or oscillation. Symbol: F; Abbreviation: freq.
4. Mathematics. the number of times a value recurs in a unit change of the independent variable of a given function.
5. Statistics. the number of items occurring in a given category.

Origin:
1545–55; < L frequentia assembly, multitude, crowd. See frequent, -cy

Synonyms:
1. regularity, repetition, recurrence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fre·quen·cy   (frē'kwən-sē)   
n.   pl. fre·quen·cies
  1. The property or condition of occurring at frequent intervals.
  2. Mathematics & Physics The number of times a specified periodic phenomenon occurs within a specified interval, as:
    1. The number of repetitions of a complete sequence of values of a periodic function per unit variation of an independent variable.
    2. The number of complete cycles of a periodic process occurring per unit time.
    3. The number of repetitions per unit time of a complete waveform, as of an electric current.
    4. The number of measurements in an interval of a frequency distribution.
    5. The ratio of the number of times an event occurs in a series of trials of a chance experiment to the number of trials of the experiment performed.
  3. Statistics
    1. The number of measurements in an interval of a frequency distribution.
    2. The ratio of the number of times an event occurs in a series of trials of a chance experiment to the number of trials of the experiment performed.

[Latin frequentia, multitude, from frequēns, frequent-, crowded, numerous, frequent.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Frequency

Fre"quen*cy\, n.; pl. Frequencies. [L. frequentia numerous attendance, multitude: cf. F. fr['e]quence. See Frequent.]

1. The condition of returning frequently; occurrence often repeated; common occurence; as, the frequency of crimes; the frequency of miracles.

The reasons that moved her to remove were, because Rome was a place of riot and luxury, her soul being almost stifled with, the frequencies of ladies' visits. --Fuller.

2. A crowd; a throng. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : frequency
Spanish: frecuencia,
German: die Häufigkeit,
Japanese: ひんぱん
More Translations »

frequency

In physics, the number of crests of a wave that move past a given point in a given unit of time. The most common unit of frequency is the hertz (Hz), corresponding to one crest per second. The frequency of a wave can be calculated by dividing the speed of the wave by the wavelength. Thus, in the electromagnetic spectrum, the wavelengths decrease as the frequencies increase, and vice versa.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Main Entry: fre·quen·cy
Pronunciation: 'frE-kw&n-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
1 : the numberof individuals in a single class when objects are classified according to variations in a set of one or more specified attributes
2 : the number of repetitions of a periodicprocess in a unit of time
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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frequency   (frē'kwən-sē)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. Physics The rate at which a repeating event occurs, such as the full cycle of a wave. Frequencies are usually measured in hertz. Compare amplitude. See also period.
  2. Mathematics The ratio of the number of occurrences of some event to the number of opportunities for its occurrence.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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