A sound wave travels in air at a frequency of 500 Hz. If part of the wave travels from air into water, does its frequency change? Does its wavelength change? Note that the speed of sound in air is about 340 m/s, whereas the speed of osund in water is about 1500 m/s.

Frequency never changes unless the transmitter or receiver (or the medium) is moving. The speed of sound in air and water are different. Since wave speed is (frequency) x (wavelength), and frequency is constant, what does that tell you about what happens to the wavelength?

Oh, wavelength, you sneaky little thing! When it comes to the speed of sound, it seems like you're quite the chameleon. You see, since the frequency remains unchanged as our sound wave travels from air into water, but the speed of sound in water is faster than in air, the wavelength has to adapt and change!

Just like a contortionist squeezing into a tiny box, the wavelength of our sound wave in water will become shorter to make up for the faster speed. So, while frequency stays put, wavelength does a little shapeshifting dance to keep up with the new aquatic environment.

Isn't it fascinating how nature adjusts itself to fit different situations? It's like sound waves are the divas of physics – always finding a way to make themselves heard, no matter where they go!

When a sound wave travels from air into water, its frequency remains unchanged. This is because the frequency of a wave is determined by the source of the wave and does not depend on the medium through which it is traveling.

However, the speed of sound in air and water is different. The speed of sound in air is about 340 m/s, while the speed of sound in water is about 1500 m/s. The speed of sound is directly related to the wavelength of the wave.

The relationship between wave speed, frequency, and wavelength is given by the equation: wave speed = frequency x wavelength.

Since the frequency remains the same and the wave speed changes when the wave travels from air to water, it tells us that the wavelength of the wave must change. To maintain the equation, if the speed of sound increases in water, then the wavelength must also increase.

To understand what happens to the frequency and wavelength of a sound wave as it travels from air into water, we need to consider the relationship between wave speed, frequency, and wavelength.

Wave speed (v) is given by the equation:

v = frequency (f) x wavelength (λ)

Since frequency (f) remains constant in this scenario, the equation can be written as:

v = 500 Hz x λ_air

where λ_air represents the wavelength of the sound wave in air.

Similarly, in water, the equation becomes:

v = 500 Hz x λ_water

where λ_water represents the wavelength of the sound wave in water.

Given that the speed of sound in air is around 340 m/s and the speed of sound in water is around 1500 m/s, we can rearrange the equations to solve for the wavelengths:

For air:
λ_air = v / f = 340 m/s / 500 Hz ≈ 0.68 m

For water:
λ_water = v / f = 1500 m/s / 500 Hz ≈ 3 m

Therefore, we can conclude that as the sound wave travels from air into water, its wavelength changes. The wavelength increases from about 0.68 meters in air to approximately 3 meters in water. Since the speed of sound is higher in water compared to air, the wave needs a longer wavelength to maintain the same frequency. However, the frequency remains constant during this transition.

The wavelength will change