Sound Problems
Name: _________________________
1. A sound wave traveling at a speed of 340 m/s has a wavelength of 1.25 m. What is the pitch of the
sound?
2. What is the wavelength of a sound wave with the same pitch as in problem 1 but is traveling through
water at 1435 m/s?
3. A note on a piano has a pitch of 55 Hz. What is the pitch of the note that is one octave higher?
4. A note played on a guitar has a pitch of 32 Hz. What is the pitch of a note that is 4 octaves higher?
5. What is the wavelength of a sound made by a violin string vibrating at 640 Hz if the wave is traveling
at 350 m/s?
6. How long does it take the string in problem 5 to vibrate just once?
7. A 448 Hz tuning fork and a 444 Hz tuning fork are struck at the same time. What is the frequency of
the beat produced?
8. Two notes are played at the same time and produce a beat frequency of 2 Hz. The frequency of one
note is 364 Hz. What are the two possible frequencies of the second note?
9. Joe the whistle maker knows the maximum volume for a whistle will occur if the length of the whistle
is exactly ¼ of the wavelength. If Joe wants to make a whistle that plays at a pitch of 320 Hz, how long
must he make the whistle?
10. Using the velocity of sound (at room temperature, 20°C) and given the pitch of notes on a piano,
calculate the wavelengths of the notes.
Note
Pitch (Hz)
C
261.6
D
293.6
E
329.6
F
349.2
G
392
A
440
B
493.9
C
523.2
Wavelength