Frequency

The frequency of a wave is determined by the number of complete waves, or wavelengths, that pass a given point each second. The colour RED has a frequency of around 430 trillion vibrations a second, whereas Violet has a much higher frequency, so each violet wave would pass a given point much quicker than the colour RED. All light travels at the same speed but each color has a different wavelength and frequency. Frequency of waves To try and explain the frequency of colour a little further, imagine that an ocean with waves that are 10 meters apart that crash on the shore every 5 seconds could be classed as having a frequency of 5, whereas an ocean of waves 10 meters apart that crashed on the shore every 10 seconds, would be classed as having a frequency of 10. The more frequent the waves, the HIGHER the frequency. It is these different wavelengths and frequencies that cause the different colours of light to separate and become visible when passing through a prism. This can be looked upon in the same way that radio waves have different frequencies and wavelengths, certain stations can only be listened to at a particular frequency or wavelength. So the colour blue - say, can only be visible at a particular frequency and wavelength range. The higher the frequency, of the colour, the closer together the waves of energy are. Higher frequency colours are - violet - indigo - bluelower frequency colours are - yellow - orange - red.A high frequency light wave has a higher energy than that of a low frequency light wave