What is the time of each pulse or half-cycle commonly called?

• A. Amplitude
• B. Phase
• C. Duration
• D. Wavelength

Answer: (C)

The time length of a pulse or half-cycle is called the duration. It tells you how long the signal stays in a given state. For a periodic waveform, one full cycle has a period, and a half-cycle lasts half of that period. So if the frequency is 60 Hz, the period is about 16.7 ms, making each half-cycle about 8.3 ms long. Amplitude refers to how big the signal is, phase describes where in the cycle you are (in degrees or radians), and wavelength is the distance the wave travels in one period.