High School Physics : Understanding Wavelength and Frequency
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
After exercising, Jane takes her pulse. She realizes that her heart is beating rapidly, approximate four beats every second. What is the period of her elevated heart rate?
When you see a relationship like "times every second" or "once per hour," these are hints you are looking at a frequency. Frequency is, effectively, how often something happens. If it happens four times per second, then we know how often it happens. The units "per second" are equivalent to Hertz.
The relationship between frequency and period is 
Since our given frequency was four beats per second, or 
This means that her heart beats once every 0.25 seconds.
Example Question #1 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A radio station broadcasts at a frequency of 
The relationship between wavelength and frequency is given by the equation 
We are given the values for frequency and the speed of light, allowing us to solve for the wavelength.
Example Question #2 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A wave oscillates with a speed of 
The equation for velocity in terms of wavelength and frequency is 
We are given the velocity and the wavelength. Using these values, we can solve for the frequency.
Example Question #3 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A symphony tunes to an oboe playing a note at 
The relationship between velocity, frequency, and wavelength is:
Plug in the given information to solve:
Example Question #4 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A note is played with a wavelength of 
The relationship between velocity, frequency, and wavelength is:
Plug in the given information to solve:
Example Question #5 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A wave has a frequency of 
The relationship between frequency and period is 
Plug in our given value:
Example Question #6 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A wave with a constant velocity doubles its frequency. What happens to its wavelength?
There is insufficient information to solve.
The wavelengths will be the same.
The new wavelength will be 
The new wavelength will also double.
The new wavelength will be
The relationship between velocity, frequency, and wavelength is:
In this case we're given a scenario where 
Notice that the 
Divide both sides by two:
Example Question #1 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A drummer beats his drum every 
Period describes the amount of time per event cycle. The relationship between period and frequency is 
We are given the period, allowing us to solve for the frequency.
Example Question #1 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A microwave has a wavelength of 
The velocity of a wave is equal to the product of the wavelength and frequency:
We can rearrange this formula to solve for the frequency.
Since microwaves are on the electromagnetic spectrum, their velocity will be equal to the speed of light. We are given the wavelength. Using these values, we are able to solve for the frequency.
Example Question #8 : Understanding Wavelength And Frequency
A certain type of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum has a frequency of 
The velocity of a wave is equal to the product of the wavelength and frequency:
We can rearrange this formula to solve for the wavelength.
We can use the given values for the frequency and velocity to solve for the wavelength.
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