What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?

Answer 1

Wavelength, λ, and Frequency, f, are inversely proportional. Their product is a constant, the wave velocity.

For lightwaves, their product is the speed of light, c:

c = λ * f = 299,792,458 m/s,

~= 3.00 * 10**8 m/s, 0.300 m/ns, 30.0 cm/ns,

~= 186,000 mi/s, 11.811 in/ns, 0.984252 ft/ns;

Where ns = nanoseconds, or 10**-9 seconds.

Frequency, f, and Wavelength, λ, describe simple values that can be measured on a moving wave, if it contains a constant signal or, at least, a clearly repetitive waveform.

So, as the wave moves past a reference point like a microphone, or radio receiver, find some repetition in the wave, measure the shortest interval of time, t, that marks the entire repetition. The frequency, f, is simply[1] the reciprocal of that time interval:

f = 1 / t

The wavelength is the measured distance between two identical areas of the waveform (like peaks, troughs, or blips), in adjacent copies of a repeating waveform. Whereas the interval measurements required one wave sensor, plus a fast timer, the wavelength measurements require two wave sensors, accurate distance measurements, but no timer. As the sensors are separated, the two signals will diverge until, at one wavelength separation, the two signals become identical again (difference is minimal).

Sometimes, it is hard to be highly accurate about where, exactly, a single interval starts and stops. However, if you can flawlessly count a large number of repetitions, just do your best to start and stop the timer in the same place on the first and last repetition. Now you get to multiply your accuracy! Divide the total time, Δt, by the number of intervals, n, this average is an improved measurement of interval!

t = Δt / n

If you divide the count by the time interval, you get an improved frequency measurement.

[1] Frequency is a counted number, n, of full waveform repetitions divided by the total elapsed time, Δt.

f = n / Δt

Answer 2

Frequency is a measurement of how often a complete wave occurs in a given amount of time.
Wavelength is the distance from like points of consecutive waves.

They are inversely related to each other. As such, an increase in wavelength will result in a decreased frequency and vise versa.

Answer 3

Wavelength lambda and frequency f are connected by the speed c of the medium. c can be air = 343 m/s at 20 degrees celsius or water at 0 dgrees = 1450 m/s. c can be light waves or electromagnetic waves = 299 792 458 m/s. The formulas are: c = lambda x f f = c / lambda lambda = c / f

Answer 4

The higher the frequency, the lower the wavelength, vice versa, like the amount of orangey stuff in a jaffa cake.

And not only that ! The product when you multiply the frequency times the wavelength

is always the same number ... it's the speed of the wave. Is that cool or what !

Answer 5

The faster the frequency, the shorter is the wavelength; the slower the frequency, the longer the wavelength.

Let frequency be f wavelength=d and speed of light =c f=c/d

Answer 6

For any wave, the product of (frequency) times (wavelength)
is the speed of the wave relative to the medium.

Answer 7

wave frequency=wave velocity/wave length