Mission SM2 Characteristics of Sound Waves
Hold down the T key for 3 seconds to activate the audio accessibility mode, at which point you can click the K key to pause and resume audio. Useful for the Check Your Understanding and See Answers.
Sound wave A and sound wave B are simultaneously traveling through the auditorium. Wave A has twice the frequency as wave B. Thus, the wavelength of wave A will be _____ the wavelength of wave B and the speed of wave A will be ____ the speed of wave B.
The speed of a wave is dependent upon the properties of the medium through which the wave is moving. An alteration in the properties of the medium will result in a change in the speed at which the wave moves through that medium.
Wave A and wave B are both traveling through the same medium - the air in the auditorium. As discussed in the Know the Law section, the speed at which sound waves travel through the air in the auditorium is dependent upon the properties of that air (mainly the temperature of the air). Since both waves are traveling through the same air, their speed will be the same.
The connection between speed, wavelength and frequency is stated in the Formula Frenzy section. If the v in the equation is the same for both wave A and wave B, then the product of frequency and wavelength must be the same for both waves. The wave with the greatest frequency will have the shortest wavelength. In fact, the ratio of their frequencies will be inversely related to the ratio of their wavelengths.
