What is Wave Speed ($v$)?

Wave speed, denoted by $v$, is the distance a wave travels per unit of time. It is a fundamental property of wave motion and depends on the medium through which the wave is traveling. The standard unit for wave speed is meters per second ($\text{m/s}$).

The relationship between wave speed, frequency ($f$), and wavelength ($\lambda$) is defined by the core equation:

• $v$: Wave Speed, measured in meters per second ($\text{m/s}$).
• $f$: Frequency, measured in Hertz ($\text{Hz}$ or $\text{s}^{-1}$), which represents the number of waves passing a fixed point per second.
• $\lambda$: Wavelength, measured in meters ($\text{m}$), which is the distance between corresponding points on consecutive waves (e.g., crest-to-crest or trough-to-trough).

Applications in Physics

This simple formula is applied across all domains of physics that involve wave phenomena, including:

• Sound Waves: Calculating the speed of sound in air, water, or solids, which changes with temperature and medium density.
• Light (Electromagnetic) Waves: Determining the speed of light in different media. For light in a vacuum, $c \approx 3.00 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}$, and the formula $c=f\lambda$ still applies.
• Water Waves: Analyzing surface waves in oceans or tanks to predict their behavior.
• Seismic Waves: Understanding the propagation of P-waves and S-waves through the Earth’s crust.