Sound moves as waves through the air and other media, forming tiny zones of compressed and rarefied molecules. Calculating the wavelength of sound in any medium, such as water, is easy if you know the speed of sound in that medium. An inverse relationship exists between a sound's frequency and its wavelength: High-pitched sounds have short wavelengths, and low frequencies have long ones. To find the wavelength of sound in water, divide its speed by the frequency in Hertz. The wavelength will have the same units, such as feet or meters, as the speed.
- Table of speed of sound in water for various temperatures
- Calculator
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Instructions
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1
Find the speed of sound in water for the temperature in which you are interested. For example, for the water in a pool at 70 degrees F, the speed of sound is 4,871 feet per second.
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2
Key the number for the speed into your calculator. Press the divide key. Enter the frequency of the sound in Hertz. As an example, use the frequency for middle "C," 261.63 hz.
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3
Press the equals key to see the result. For this example, you should see 18.6, which is the wavelength of middle "C" in feet when under water.
