Maintenance Technician Practice Test

The correct choice indicates that a 60 Hertz (Hz) sine wave has a shorter period compared to a 50 Hz sine wave. In the context of waves, the period is the time it takes for one full cycle of the wave to be completed. The relationship between frequency (measured in hertz) and period (measured in seconds) is inverse; that is, as frequency increases, the period decreases. The formula that expresses this relationship is: Period (T) = 1 / Frequency (f). For a 50 Hz wave, the period would be 1/50 seconds, which equals 0.02 seconds. For a 60 Hz wave, the period would be 1/60 seconds, equating to approximately 0.0167 seconds. Since the sine wave at 60 Hz completes more cycles in the same amount of time compared to the 50 Hz wave, its period is indeed shorter. This understanding is crucial as it directly relates to how these electrical waves behave in various applications, including power distribution and signal processing.