Find the wavelength of a radio wave if the frequency is 11 x 10 ^6 Hz and the speed of radio waves in air is 3 x 10 ^8 m/s.

The key equation here is v = fL ( v is wave speed (m/s), f is frequency (Hz), L is wavelength (m)). We need to rearrange it to get L (the wavelength). To do this, we divide by f to get L = v/f. Frequency is given in the question and it already has units of Hz so that's fine already. The speed is also given so the equation is now simple! L = 3 x 108 / 11 x 106 = 27.273 m.Hint: This equation is easy to remember if you just think of it as a speed equation, meaning it is the same as speed = distance/time because distance is wavelength (note that the units are both metres, units of distance) and 1/time is the definition of frequency. You can also work out the equation if you forget it by looking at the units: the units for wavespeed are m/s. This means we need units of m and units of s or 1/s. This is wavelength and frequency as we have said.

EM

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Explain what led to the plum pudding model of the atom being replaced by the nuclear model of the atom.


Explain Newton's laws of motion


Why does lowering the control rods in a nuclear reactor reduce the amount of energy released each second from the nuclear fuel?


Why do rays of light change direction as they pass from air to a glass block?