frequency (F) /frē″kwənsē/ [L, frequens, frequent] , 1. the number of repetitions of any phenomenon within a fixed period, such as the number of heartbeats per minute. 2. (in biometry) the proportion of the number of persons having a discrete characteristic to the total number of persons being studied. 3. (in electronics) the number of cycles of a periodic quantity, such as alternating current, that occur in a period of 1 second. Electromagnetic frequencies, formerly expressed in cycles per second (cps), are now expressed in hertz (Hz).
