Wave speed calculations
Using the formulae covered in these chapters:
…we can do some example calculations!
A reminder of the equation
Section titled “A reminder of the equation”With symbols:
Examples
Section titled “Examples”Calculate the wave speed of a wave with a frequency of 500 Hz and a wavelength of 2 m.
Section titled “Calculate the wave speed of a wave with a frequency of 500 Hz and a wavelength of 2 m.”(write our formula) (substitute in the values) (calculate) - Answer: 1000 m/s.
Calculate the frequency of a wave with a speed of 340 m/s and a wavelength of 0.5 m.
Section titled “Calculate the frequency of a wave with a speed of 340 m/s and a wavelength of 0.5 m.”(write our formula) (rearrange it) (substitute in the values) (calculate) - Answer: 680 Hz.
Calculate the wavelength of a wave with a speed of 1500 m/s and a frequency of 3000 Hz.
Section titled “Calculate the wavelength of a wave with a speed of 1500 m/s and a frequency of 3000 Hz.”(write our formula) (rearrange it) (substitute in the values) (calculate) - Answer: 0.5 m.
A wave has a frequency of 100 Hz and a wavelength of 3 m. What is its speed?
Section titled “A wave has a frequency of 100 Hz and a wavelength of 3 m. What is its speed?”(write our formula) (substitute in the values) (calculate) - Answer: 300 m/s.
A wave travels at a speed of 600,000 mm/s and has a wavelength of 4 cm. What is its frequency?
Section titled “A wave travels at a speed of 600,000 mm/s and has a wavelength of 4 cm. What is its frequency?”(convert speed to metres per second) (convert wavelength to metres) (write our formula) (rearrange it) (substitute in the values) (calculate) - Answer: 15,000 Hz.
A wave has a speed of 2 km/s and a frequency of 500 Hz. What is its wavelength?
Section titled “A wave has a speed of 2 km/s and a frequency of 500 Hz. What is its wavelength?”(convert speed to metres per second) (write our formula) (rearrange it) (substitute in the values) (calculate) - Answer: 4 m.