Wave Speed Calculator (v = fλ)
Wave Speed Calculator (v = fλ)
Every wave - whether it's sound, light, water, or a wave on a string - obeys the same simple relationship between its speed, frequency, and wavelength: speed equals frequency times wavelength (v = fλ). Choose which variable you need, enter the other two known values, and this calculator computes the third, along with a diagram showing one full wavelength.
- v = f × λ, so a wave with a frequency of 5 Hz and a wavelength of 2 m travels at 5 × 2 = 10 m/s.
- This relationship holds for any wave type - sound, light, water waves, and waves on a string all satisfy v=fλ, though the speed itself depends on the medium (sound travels at ~343 m/s in air but ~1,480 m/s in water).
- Frequency and wavelength are inversely related at a fixed speed - double the frequency and the wavelength halves, which is exactly what the diagram below illustrates.
How do I calculate wave speed from frequency and wavelength?
Multiply frequency by wavelength: v = f × λ. A 5 Hz wave with a 2 m wavelength has a speed of 5 × 2 = 10 m/s.
How do I find the wavelength if I know the speed and frequency?
Divide speed by frequency: λ = v / f. A wave traveling at 340 m/s with a frequency of 170 Hz has a wavelength of 340 / 170 = 2 m.
Wave Speed Calculator (v = fλ)
Every wave - whether it's sound, light, water, or a wave on a string - obeys the same simple relationship between its speed, frequency, and wavelength: speed equals frequency times wavelength (v = fλ). Choose which variable you need, enter the other two known values, and this calculator computes the third, along with a diagram showing one full wavelength.
- v = f × λ, so a wave with a frequency of 5 Hz and a wavelength of 2 m travels at 5 × 2 = 10 m/s.
- This relationship holds for any wave type - sound, light, water waves, and waves on a string all satisfy v=fλ, though the speed itself depends on the medium (sound travels at ~343 m/s in air but ~1,480 m/s in water).
- Frequency and wavelength are inversely related at a fixed speed - double the frequency and the wavelength halves, which is exactly what the diagram below illustrates.
How do I calculate wave speed from frequency and wavelength?
Multiply frequency by wavelength: v = f × λ. A 5 Hz wave with a 2 m wavelength has a speed of 5 × 2 = 10 m/s.
How do I find the wavelength if I know the speed and frequency?
Divide speed by frequency: λ = v / f. A wave traveling at 340 m/s with a frequency of 170 Hz has a wavelength of 340 / 170 = 2 m.