Example 1
440 Hz and 343 m/s -> 0.7795 m.
Wavelength from frequency calculator
Type a frequency. You can leave speed at 343 m/s, air near 20 °C. The calculator divides v by f. At A4 = 440 Hz the wave is 0.7795 m, about 2.5576 ft. At 20 Hz it is already 17.15 m.
Note Hz: frequency from A4. Wave physics: wavelength. Loudness: sound intensity.
Result
Enter a value. The result shows up here.
How it works
Wavelength is the distance sound travels in one period. λ = v / f. In air near 20 °C you take 343 m/s. At A4 = 440 Hz you get 343 / 440 ≈ 0.7795 m, about 2.5576 ft on the second card. An octave up, 880 Hz, shortens the wave to 0.3898 m. Two waves fit the same path because frequency doubled.
At 20 Hz, the bottom of hearing, the wave is 17.15 m. At 100 Hz it is 3.43 m. At 1000 Hz a clean 0.3430 m. At 2000 Hz 0.1715 m. When f = v, here 343 Hz and 343 m/s, λ = 1.0000 m. C4 typed as 261.63 Hz gives 1.3110 m.
If you leave speed empty, the calculator fills 343. A typed value overwrites that default: 1480 m/s is the scale in water, 5100 m/s is common in steel. Typed zero in v does not pass, because we do not divide by a zero speed. Frequency must be positive too.
Feet are meters divided by 0.3048. The v field stays in meters per second even when the header is on US. Do not convert speed to ft/s in that field: the feet result still appears beside the meters.
Type Hz, optionally v, then Calculate. A comma in 261.63 works. This calculator is sound, not an arbitrary electromagnetic wave. The general λ = v / f without a 343 default lives on the physics wavelength page. Intensity in decibels is another calculator.
In a small room a 17 m wave at 20 Hz does not fit, which is why bass feels like it is wandering. At 343 Hz you have a meter and microphone spacing is easier to aim. λ from a note is here; the note hertz themselves sit on the A4 page next door.
How to use
- Type frequency in Hz, for example 440. You may leave speed empty: then 343 m/s.
- If you are in water or steel, type your own speed in m/s. The US header will not convert it to ft/s.
- Click Calculate. 440 and 343 give 0.7795 m and about 2.5576 ft. 20 Hz and 343 give 17.1500 m.
- For note hertz from A4, open note frequency, then paste the result here.
- For a wave that is not sound, open wavelength in physics. That page does not default to 343 m/s.
Formula
λ = v / f
f > 0, v > 0. Empty v = 343 m/s. Feet = meters / 0.3048. The v field stays in m/s regardless of the US header.
Hz and wavelength in air
Here λ = v / f. At 440 Hz and 343 m/s the wave is 0.7795 m. At 20 Hz it is already 17.15 m. Empty v inserts 343 m/s.
- Hz
- Frequency f in hertz. 440 at 343 m/s gives 0.7795 m. Higher Hz shortens the wave. This is not a note transposition.
- m/s
- Sound speed in the v field. Empty = 343, air near 20 °C. Typing 1500 would be water, not that 0.7795 m from A4.
Real-life examples
Example 2
20 Hz and 343 -> 17.1500 m of wave.
Example 3
1000 Hz and 343 -> 0.3430 m.
Example 4
261.63 Hz and 343 -> 1.3110 m.
Example 5
880 Hz and 343 -> 0.3898 m.
Example 6
100 Hz and 343 -> 3.4300 m.
Example 7
343 Hz and 343 -> 1.0000 m.
Example 8
2000 Hz and 343 -> 0.1715 m.
Ways to use this calculator
- You check whether a bass wave at a known Hz fits the room size before you place a subwoofer.
- You compare a note λ with microphone spacing when you want to avoid a hole in the range you are recording.
- You take 440 Hz and 343 m/s as a quick check: 0.7795 m should come back every time.
Frequently asked questions
How many meters is the wave at 440 Hz and 343 m/s?
0.7795 m, about 2.5576 ft. 880 Hz at the same v is 0.3898 m, half.
What about 20 Hz, 100 Hz, and 1000 Hz?
17.1500 m, 3.4300 m, and 0.3430 m. Higher f, shorter λ.
What happens if I leave speed empty?
The calculator fills 343 m/s, air near 20 °C. Typed 1480 overwrites that value.
What do I get at 261.63 Hz, C4?
1.3110 m at 343 m/s. Wavelength λ = v / f, so 343 / 261.63 ≈ 1.3110.
When is λ exactly 1 m?
When f = v. At 343 Hz and 343 m/s the result is 1.0000 m.
Does the US header convert the v field to ft/s?
No. v stays in m/s. The second card still shows feet: meters divided by 0.3048.
What speed do I type for water?
Around 1480 m/s in fresh water, depending on temperature. Then the same λ = v / f.
Is this the same card as wavelength in physics?
Same formula. The 343 default and the feet card are here because this is sound. Physics does not fill air for you.
What about 2000 Hz?
0.1715 m at 343 m/s. 343 / 2000 = 0.1715. A higher pitch shortens λ.
Where do I get note Hz for this field?
From the note-frequency page: A4 is 440, C4 is 261.63 at k = −9.
Knowledge sources
Frequency and intervals in this calculator follow the hertz and A440 concert pitch.
Page updated in 2026.