Question
Question: How will increasing the frequency of the wave affect the wavelength and what type of relationship is...
How will increasing the frequency of the wave affect the wavelength and what type of relationship is this?
Solution
Frequency and wavelength are two properties of waves, which are used to describe them. Frequency is the number of waves passing per unit of time while wavelength is the distance between two points on a wave. The speed of light is related to the wavelength and frequency.
Formulas used:
c=λν
Complete step-by-step solution:
The number of waves passing through a point in one second is called frequency. Its SI unit is Hertz.
Wavelength is the distance between two identical points in a wave. Its SI unit is m−1.
The relationship between frequency and wavelength is given by-
c=λν
Here, c is the speed of light in air and its value is 3×108ms−1
λ is the wavelength
ν is the frequency
We know that the speed of light in the air is a constant value. Therefore, wavelength and frequency are related as-
λ∝ν1
From the above relation, we can say that wavelength and frequency are inversely proportional to each other. This means when the wavelength increases frequency decreases and vice versa.
Therefore, when frequency increases wavelength decreases, and this type of relationship is known as an inverse proportionality.
Additional information: All waves travel in a combination of crests and troughs. The highest point in a wave is known as the crest and the lowest point in a wave is known as the trough
Note: The time period of a wave is the time taken by the wave to complete one oscillation. The reciprocal of the time period is frequency. Waves are of two types on the basis of medium of prorogation; electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves. Mechanical waves are divided into transverse and longitudinal waves.