Sound frequency to wavelength converter
Convert the frequency of a sound to the length of its wave, or a wavelength back to frequency, for the medium it travels in.
That's about the same as concert A.
What it means
How high is that sound?
λ = c ÷ f. The speed of sound in air rises about 0.6 m/s per °C; the medium picker sets it.
Every unit
That sound in every unit
Learn
Three things worth knowing
-
343 ÷ Hz
In air, wavelength in meters is 343 ÷ frequency: 100 Hz is 3.4 m, 1 kHz is 34 cm.
-
Measuring sound’s speed
Marin Mersenne timed echoes in the 1630s; the French Academy fired cannons between hills in 1738 and got within 1 % of today’s value.
-
Same note, different length
In water sound is 4.3 times faster, so the same note is 4.3 times longer underwater.
Shortcuts
Popular sound conversions
Background
About sound wavelength
A sound’s wavelength is how far the wave travels in one cycle: speed ÷ frequency. In air at 20 °C sound moves at 343 m/s, so a 20 Hz rumble is 17 m long and a 20 kHz hiss under 2 cm.
That is why low notes bend around walls and need big speakers and room treatment, while high notes beam and are easily blocked.