Question

If the frequencies of two component waves are 24 Hz and 20 Hz, they should produce _______ beats per second.

A. 2
B. 8
C. 4
D. 12

Answer 1

C. 4 beats per second is correct

Answer 2

This can be answered using the beat frequency formula, which is simply the difference between 2 frequencies.

Let: fᵇ = beat frequency
f₁ = first frequency
f₂ = second frequency

fᵇ = |f₁ - f₂|

substituting the values:
fᵇ = |24Hz - 20Hz|
fᵇ = 4Hz

The unit Hz also means beats per second, therefore:
fᵇ = 4 beats per second

Therefore, the answer is C. 4