142k views
1 vote
An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength equal to 920 nm. Knowing that the speed of light is v = 3 x 108 m/s, find the frequency of this wave Note that 1 nm = 10-9 m

User Dan Sinker
by
7.9k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

To find the frequency of an electromagnetic wave with a wavelength of 920 nm, first convert the wavelength to meters and then use the formula c = λν to solve for frequency (ν). The frequency is approximately 3.26 × 10⁹ Hz.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks for the calculation of the frequency of an electromagnetic wave with a given wavelength of 920 nanometers (nm), using the speed of light.

To find the frequency (ν), we use the formula c = λν, where c is the speed of light (3 × 10⁸ m/s) and λ is the wavelength of the wave.

First, we must convert the wavelength from nanometers to meters by multiplying by 10⁻¹ m/nm:

  • λ = 920 nm × 10⁻¹ m/nm = 9.20 × 10⁻· m

Next, we rearrange the formula to solve for ν:

  • ν = c / λ
  • ν = (3 × 10⁸ m/s) / (9.20 × 10⁻· m)
  • ν ≈ 3.26 × 10⁹ Hz

Hence, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave is approximately 3.26 × 10⁹ Hz.

User Kelton
by
8.4k points