Wave Machine

Make a sound, see its wave. Change the pitch and loudness and listen to what happens.

Sound travels through
Speed of sound
343 m/s
Wavelength
0.78 m
Period
2.27 ms

The maths, live

Wave equation v = f × λλ = v ÷ f = 343 ÷ 440 = 0.78 m
Period T = 1 ÷ fT = 1 ÷ 440 = 0.0023 s

Turn the volume down first! Higher frequency means higher pitch and shorter waves.

How it works

Sound is a wave of vibrations travelling through a material. The frequency (how many waves pass each second, in hertz) sets the pitch. The amplitude (how big the waves are) sets the loudness.

The speed of a wave equals its frequency times its wavelength: v = f × λ. Sound travels faster in water and steel than in air, so the same note has longer waves there.

Try this

  1. Play a note and slowly raise the frequency. What happens to the waves?
  2. Keep the frequency the same and switch from air to steel. What changes?
  3. Find the highest pitch you can comfortably hear.