The maximum cyclical change in a quantity is known as?

• A. Pressure
• B. Power
• C. Amplitude
• D. Intensity

Answer: (C)

The concept tested is amplitude—the peak value of an oscillating quantity. In a periodic motion, amplitude is how far the quantity moves from its resting position at the most extreme point of the cycle. For a simple sinusoidal wave, the displacement is often written as x(t) = A sin(ωt), where A is the amplitude, the maximum cyclical change the system undergoes during each cycle. This is why amplitude is the correct term here.

Pressure, power, and intensity describe different things. Pressure is force per area and can vary over a cycle, but it’s not the measure of how big the oscillation itself is. Power is the rate at which energy is transferred, and intensity is the power per unit area; neither directly quantifies the size of the oscillation.