A note was played on a a keyboard. The frequency of the note was 440 Hz. (a) What does a frequency of 440 Hz mean? (b) The sound waves produced by the keyboard travel at a speed of 340 m/s. Calculate the wavelength of the note.

(a) A frequency of 440 Hz means that a single trough and peak of the sound wave oscillates 440 times per second or equally that 440 sound waves are produced by the keyboard per second (This is because the SI unit of a Hz is inverse seconds s^-1)

(b) We first need the equation that relates the two given quantities we have (wave velocity and frequency) to the third unknown, desired quantity (wavelength). This is equation is a simple one, v = f lambda. We want the quantity lambda, so we have to divide both sides of the equation by f to get v / f = lambda. We then plug in the numbers to find lambda, the wavelength, which is lambda = 340 m /s / 440 /s = 340/440 m (as the /s units cancel out leaving just length which is the correct unit for a wavelength!)

IW
Answered by Ifan W. Physics tutor

37043 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

I don't understand acceleration and how something can accelerate without speeding up.


A student investigated how the resistance of a piece of nichrome wire varies box with length.Describe how the student would obtain the data needed for the investigation. Your answer should include a risk assessment for one hazard in the investigation.


A kettle is found to output 65J when its input energy is 100J. What is the efficiency of the kettle, and what happens to the rest of the energy?


Explain, with reference to the Schwarzschild radius, why the sun isn’t a black hole.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning