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From frequency to wavelength

 

The relation between the frequency and wavelength is given by

    \[ \text{wavelength} = \frac{c}{\text{frequency}} \]

where c is the speed of sound in air, which can be calculated by

    \[ c = 20 \sqrt{273 + T}. \]

Here, T is the temperature in degrees celcius. For T=20, this results in a sound speed of approximately 342 m/s.

 

I have created an R script (below) to plot the relation between wavelength and frequency on a linear and double logarithmic scale.

Figure 1. Wavelength vs frequency on a linear scale

 

Figure 2. Wavelength vs frequency on a double logarithmic scale.

 

Some numbers

Frequency (Hz) Approximate wavelength
20 17 m
50 6.8 m
100 3.4 m
500 68 cm
1000 34 cm
4000 8.6 cm
10000 3.4 cm
20000 1.7 cm

 

The lowest note on the standard guitar is E at about 83 Hz (wavelength ~4.1 meter)

The high E4 string =329.6Hz (wavelength ~1 meter)

Piano middle C = 256 Hz (wavelength ~1.3 meter)

Piano middle A = 440Hz (wavelength ~80cm)

 

See also the wavelength calculator.

 

Supplementary information

Published On: October 3rd, 2021Last Updated: July 6th, 2024Categories: Audio technology EducationTags: , , ,