Final answer:
The distance a wave travels during one complete cycle is the wavelength, typically measured in meters, centimeters, or nanometers. Wavelength is represented by the Greek letter lambda (λ), and frequency, the number of waves that pass a point per second, is denoted by nu (ν) and measured in Hertz (Hz).
Step-by-step explanation:
The distance a wave travels during one complete cycle is the wavelength. The wavelength can be visualized as the distance from one wave crest to the next and is represented in equations by the Greek letter lambda (λ). Depending on the type of wave, the units used for wavelength can be meters, centimeters, or nanometers (with 1 meter being equivalent to 109 nanometers). It's also important to understand that the frequency of a wave, denoted by the Greek letter nu (ν), is the number of waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time and is measured in Hertz (Hz), equivalent to cycles per second.