What is the relationship between the wavelength and frequency of a wave?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the relationship between the wavelength and frequency of a wave?
Wavelength is directly proportional to frequency
Wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency
Wavelength is equal to frequency
Wavelength and frequency are unrelated
The relationship is given by the equation v = fλ, where v is the wave speed, f is the frequency, and λ is the wavelength. Thus, wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: What is the relationship between the wavelength and frequency of a wave?
Solution: The relationship is given by the equation v = fλ, where v is the wave speed, f is the frequency, and λ is the wavelength. Thus, wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand that waves have two important properties: wavelength and frequency.
Step 2: Wavelength (λ) is the distance between two consecutive points of a wave, like from one peak to the next peak.
Step 3: Frequency (f) is how many waves pass a point in one second, measured in Hertz (Hz).
Step 4: The speed of a wave (v) is how fast the wave travels through a medium.
Step 5: The relationship between these three properties is described by the equation v = fλ.
Step 6: Rearranging the equation shows that wavelength (λ) can be found by dividing wave speed (v) by frequency (f): λ = v/f.
Step 7: This means that if the frequency increases, the wavelength decreases, and vice versa. They are inversely proportional.
