The height of a sine wave is called the

• A. Wavelength
• B. Altitude
• C. Amplitude
• D. Frequency

Answer: (C)

The height of a sine wave is defined by its amplitude. Amplitude is the maximum displacement from the resting position, which you can picture as the distance from the middle line up to a crest (and the same down to a trough). This is what gives the wave its tallness. The distance from crest to trough is twice the amplitude, but the height itself is the amplitude. Wavelength describes the spatial distance between repeating points (like crest to crest), and frequency describes how often the cycles occur per unit time. Altitude isn’t a standard term used for the height of a sine wave.