Question

What is its wavelength in sea water?

The speed of sound in sea water is about 1422 m/s. If a sound wave has a frequency of 289 Hz, what is its wavelength in sea water?

Answer 1

`lambda = 4.92 m`

Explanation:

The formula that relates speed of a wave, `v`; frequency, `f`; and wavelength, `lambda`; is

`v = lambda*f`

Therefore

`1422 m/s = lambda*289 Hz`

`lambda = (1422 m/s)/(289 Hz)`

The unit Hz is equivalent to `s^-1`. Therefore the last equation can be simplified as follows:

`lambda = (1422 m/s)/(289 s^-1) = 1422/289 m/cancel(s)*cancel(s) = 4.92 m`

I hope this helps,
Steve