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What is a wavelegth?

Updated: 9/17/2023
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a wavelength is a distance between consecutive wave crests

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Q: What is a wavelegth?
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Why does the frequency of a wave decrease while the wavelegth increases?

Multiplication of wavelength and frequency is equal to velocity of the wave.It is a constant in a medium.So wavelength and frequency is indirectly propotinal.One should increase if other decrease to maintain the constant velocity.


What is the difference between electromagnetic waves and light waves?

Nothing, apart from the fact that your eyes are only capable of seing "visible light" , ie within a certain wavelegth (couple hundred nanometres). All electromagneic waves are the same, save their wavelengths which range from gamma rays (shortest) to radio waves (longest, couple metres long). However, waves above Microwaves (X-rays, gamma rays) contain enough energy per photon to ionize electrons (remove them from their atoms). This can cause chemical bonds to break, which is why X-ray and gamma ray radiation can be dangerous.


How is the wavelength related to the distance between nodes?

A node is a point along a standing wave where the wave has minimal amplitude. The opposite of a node is an antinode, a point where the amplitude of the standing wave is a maximum. These occur midway between the nodes. Examples of a type of boundary could be the attachment point of a string, the closed end of an organ pipe or a woodwind pipe, the periphery of a drumhead, or a transmission line with the end short circuit. In this type, the amplitude of the wave is forced to zero at the boundary, so there is a node at the boundary, and the other nodes occur at multiples of half a wavelength from it: 0, λ/2, λ, 3λ/2, 2λ, ... One wavelength has 3 nodes and 2 antinodes. Between two nodes is the distance of half the wavelegth.


How are UV waves and radio waves the same?

I had this same question on my homework, but I don't know how they are the SAME. I do know how they are different though. ultraviolet radiation begins at the short wavelegth then overlaps to the long x-ray wavelength and the microwave radiation starts at the longest wavelength then goes to the shortest. sorry i couldn't really answer your question though


Why can light be modeled both as a wave and a particle?

Really good question.All electromagnetic waves behave essentially the same. It is humans and the material world that cause different effects to appear.Light exhibits properties of both waves and particles.This is called wave-particle duality and is an important concept in quantum mechanics.In our rational view of earth life in 'rational' way light seems both 'wave' and 'particle'.This indicates that light does not fit the 'rational' models of 'waves and particles'So it would be equally fitting 'rational' logic to say: light is neither 'wave' nor 'particle'That would be slightly misleading. In 'rational' logic 'light' is a mix of wave and particleLike a flesh eating plant is a mix of the Aristotelian models 'animal' and 'plant'.The difference is 'anima' or 'mind'.But 'mind' is a 'rational' a priori (per definitionplants have no mind)Earth 'life' survives without 'animals' and 'humans', but not without 'plants'.The problem seems to be in the virtual 'rational' concept 'continuity' and 'mind'.OK. Thanks for that. And now that everybody's discomfort is resolved, we shouldalso mention that matter also behaves both as particles and as waves.

Related questions

What is half of wavelegth?

Just call it "half a wavelength". As far as I know, there is no special name for that.


What are the parameters of analog signal?

The parameters of analog signals are 1.Amplitude 2.Wavelegth 3.frequency 4.phase angle


Why does the frequency of a wave decrease while the wavelegth increases?

Multiplication of wavelength and frequency is equal to velocity of the wave.It is a constant in a medium.So wavelength and frequency is indirectly propotinal.One should increase if other decrease to maintain the constant velocity.


What is wavelegth?

A wave is a bunch of particles moving together. Such as when water spreads out after you drop a pebble in a pond or radio signals when they are sent out from a transmitter. The particle move in a synchronized manner going up and down. You can see this effect in water. You can't see it in radio or light waves but they behave exactly the same. If you measure the distance from one crest (highest point) to the next (or lowest point, doesn't matter) that is the length of the wave, or wavelength for short.


Wave length is measured from the crest to the trough?

You are probably asking how Wavelegth is measured.......yes the distance between similar points on any waves is the WAVELENGTH . You count the number per second to get the FREQUENCY in cycles per second or HERTZ.... If the Frequency is very low it may take more than one second to complete a wave , then the Frequency is a fraction of a Hertz .ie 0.5hz takes two seconds to complete one wave.....


What is the difference between electromagnetic waves and light waves?

Nothing, apart from the fact that your eyes are only capable of seing "visible light" , ie within a certain wavelegth (couple hundred nanometres). All electromagneic waves are the same, save their wavelengths which range from gamma rays (shortest) to radio waves (longest, couple metres long). However, waves above Microwaves (X-rays, gamma rays) contain enough energy per photon to ionize electrons (remove them from their atoms). This can cause chemical bonds to break, which is why X-ray and gamma ray radiation can be dangerous.


Why would an element change color when on fire?

As anything is heated it also looses heat back to its surroundings by radiation. The wavelength of that radiated energy is related to temperature. As temperature rises, the radiation becomes of increasingly higher energy, higher energy radiation means decreasing wavelength. At low temperatures, the radiation is IR - infra-red, which we cannot see. As temperature rises, the radiation becomes red, then orange light. Keep heating and eventually the light will become white as light of increasingly higher energy (shorter wavelegth) is emitted. Eventually you have a lamp (light bulb) element (if it hasn't melted or chemically reacted long before that point).


The speed of red light?

Red light has a wavelength of approximately 700 nm(which corresponds to a frequency of about 430 THz), while green light would be about 535 nm(frequency of 560 THz). Doppler formula for the blueshift effect is: f'=(c/(c+v)) * f, so we get: v = c * ((f/f')-1) v is radial speed from source to observer. Negative v indicates the velocity vector has to point towards source. Calculating: v = -0.232 c , which would be about 70000 km/s.


What is the frequency of a radio wave that has a wavelegth of 4.8 meters?

We generate and detect radio waves for purposes of communication, cooking, andscientific investigation, in the frequency range of roughly 30 KHz to 300 GHz,corresponding to wavelengths between 10,000 meters and 1 millimeter.


Why are telescope mirrors made of glass?

To improve resolving power you want your telescope as wide as possible. Lenses larger than one meter are not really feasable while 10 meter mirrors have been built successfully. Lenses focus different colors (wavelengths) of light different places (chromatic abberation) making good imagery difficult. Mirrors don't care about the wavelegth.


How is the wavelength related to the distance between nodes?

A node is a point along a standing wave where the wave has minimal amplitude. The opposite of a node is an antinode, a point where the amplitude of the standing wave is a maximum. These occur midway between the nodes. Examples of a type of boundary could be the attachment point of a string, the closed end of an organ pipe or a woodwind pipe, the periphery of a drumhead, or a transmission line with the end short circuit. In this type, the amplitude of the wave is forced to zero at the boundary, so there is a node at the boundary, and the other nodes occur at multiples of half a wavelength from it: 0, λ/2, λ, 3λ/2, 2λ, ... One wavelength has 3 nodes and 2 antinodes. Between two nodes is the distance of half the wavelegth.


Why are electron microscopes capable of revealing details much smaller that those seem through light microscope?

The resolving power of a microscope is a linear function of the wavelength - An optical microscope's wavelength is that of light, and the electron microscope's - that of vibrating electrons. As the electron microscope's wavelength is about 100,000 times smaller than that of light, we get a much better resolving power.