A wave has frequency 50 Hz and wavelength 3 m. What is its speed?

A wave has frequency 50 Hz and wavelength 3 m. What is its speed?

• A. 50 m/s
• B. 3 m/s
• C. 150 m/s
• D. 60 m/s

Answer: (C)

Wave speed is found by multiplying how often the wave repeats each second (frequency) by how long each cycle stretches (wavelength). With a frequency of 50 Hz and a wavelength of 3 m, the speed is v = fλ = 50 × 3 = 150 m/s. The units check out since Hz is s⁻¹, so Hz × m gives m/s. Therefore, the speed is 150 m/s. The other numbers would require different f or λ values.

Wave speed is found by multiplying how often the wave repeats each second (frequency) by how long each cycle stretches (wavelength). With a frequency of 50 Hz and a wavelength of 3 m, the speed is v = fλ = 50 × 3 = 150 m/s. The units check out since Hz is s⁻¹, so Hz × m gives m/s. Therefore, the speed is 150 m/s. The other numbers would require different f or λ values.