Identifying wavelengths of sound waves

[DarylMBCP]

Hey guys, I'm kinda having some problem with this question on finding the frequency of the sound wave of the picture provided. The speed the sound wave is traveling at is 340m/s. I know that in order to find the frequency, I hve to tke speed / wavelength. However, I'm not sure how to find the wavelength.

Btw, b, d, and f represent the centre line in the three lines representing the compression.

I've tried searching on identifying wavelengths, but wht I've found is that the wavelength should be 2m / 2 since line b should represent a point on the x-axis before the graph reaches a trough and goes back up to the x-axis, which should be represented by c, reaches a peak and finally reaches the x-axis again, which is represented by d.

Therefore, b to d should be one wavelength, which equals to 1m. It's quite confusing to explain it this way, but I hope you guys can get it. Thanks and any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[jbsteele]

The wavelength of the sound wave in the picture is 0.5 meters, since the distance between points b and d is 0.5 meters. To find the frequency of the sound wave, you would then divide the speed (340 m/s) by the wavelength (0.5 m):Frequency = 340 m/s / 0.5 m = 680 Hz

 

[tomcue]

Hi there,

It sounds like you are on the right track with your understanding of wavelength and frequency. To find the wavelength of a sound wave, you can use the formula wavelength = speed/frequency. In this case, you already have the speed of the sound wave (340m/s), so you just need to find the frequency.

To do this, you can use the information provided in the graph. As you mentioned, the distance between b and d represents one wavelength. This means that if you measure the distance between these two points on the graph, you should get a value of 1m. This distance is also known as the wavelength of the sound wave.

To find the frequency, you can use the formula frequency = 1/wavelength. In this case, the frequency would be 1/1m, which equals 1 Hz. This means that the sound wave is vibrating at a rate of 1 cycle per second.

I hope this helps clarify the process for finding the wavelength and frequency of a sound wave. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please let me know. Thank you for reaching out and seeking clarification on this topic. Keep up the good work!