The scientific term for the rate at which waves oscillate in cycles is frequency.

Here's a breakdown:

* Frequency is a measure of how often a repeating event occurs over a specific time period. In the context of waves, it refers to the number of cycles (complete oscillations) per second.

* The unit of frequency is Hertz (Hz), where 1 Hz represents one cycle per second.

For example, a wave oscillating 10 times per second has a frequency of 10 Hz.