Wavelength of sound – the wavelength of sound is defined as the smallest distance between two points of a wave that are in the same phase of oscillation. In simple terms, it refers to the distance between two repeating segments of an acoustic wave (sound wave). This situation occurs when the displacement at both points of the wave is the same and both are at the moment of increasing. If one point is increasing while the other is decreasing, we refer to opposite phases, and we cannot measure the wavelength.
The wavelength of sound is denoted by the Greek letter λ. This parameter is calculated by dividing the speed of sound by its frequency. The speed of sound will depend on many external factors, including humidity and air temperature. The estimated value is commonly taken to be around 340 m/s. For example, a wave with a frequency of 20 Hz will have a length of 17 meters, while a wave with a frequency of 20 kHz will have a length of 1.7 centimeters.
Understanding wavelength is very important in acoustic and electroacoustic analysis. It allows for the proper design of rooms or their rearrangement. The wavelength of an acoustic wave is inversely proportional to its frequency.
