KEY
Name ______________________
Period ____
Date ___________
Traveling Wave Problems
Traveling waves of all kinds are described in terms of frequency (f), velocity (v), wavelength (λ)
and period (T). The following relationships hold between these parameters.
T = 1/f
T is time for one wavelength to pass by: units are seconds
f is how many vibrations per second of the wave: units are Hertz or cycles/second
v=fλ
v is how fast the energy of the wave travels: units are meters/second
λ is the length of the wave; units are meters
Practice problems: Show your work on all problems. Include units in all of your answers.
1. The traveling wave above has a wavelength of 2 meters and a frequency of 400 Hz. Find the
speed and period of the wave.
T=___________
v = __________
2. In a vacuum all colors of light travel at a speed of 3x108 m/s. The HeNe laser emits a red color
with a wavelength of 633 nm. What is the frequency of this light?
f = __________
3. The rope wave shown in the picture at the right has
a frequency of 25 Hz. What are the wavelength,
period, and speed?
T = __________
λ = __________
v = __________
4. The rope in the bottom picture is the same as above
and the wave travels at the same speed. Find the
wavelength and frequency.
λ = __________
f = __________