173 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 173 Hz Wavelength?

A 173 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 1.98 meters, 198.39 cm, 6.51 feet (6 feet and 6.11 inches) or 78.11 inches when traveling in air at 20°C (68°F).

The formula for the wavelenght is λ = c/f where:

  • c is the celerity (speed) of sound = 343.21 m/s or 1126.03 ft/s in air at 20°C (68°F).
  • f is the frequency = 173 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 1.98 meters, or 6.51 feet.

173 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 173 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 173 Hz wavelength (m)173 Hz wavelength (ft)
-40-401.76935.8047
-35-311.78815.8666
-30-221.80685.9278
-25-131.82535.9885
-20-41.84366.0485
-1551.86176.1080
-10141.87966.1668
-5231.89746.2251
0321.91506.2829
5411.93256.3401
10501.94986.3969
15591.96696.4531
20681.98396.5089
25772.00076.5641
30862.01756.6189
35952.03406.6733
401042.05056.7272

173 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 173 Hz sound wave is 0.99 meters, 99.19 cm, 3.25 feet (3 feet and 3.05 inches) or 39.05 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 173 Hz in rooms where two opposing walls (axial mode), edges (tangential mode) or corners (oblique mode) are spaced by a distance d = nλ/2 where:

  • n is a natural (positive integer greater than or equal to 1)
  • λ is the 173 Hz wavelength = 1.98 meters, or 6.51 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

173 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.993.25
21.986.51
32.989.76
43.9713.02
54.9616.27
65.9519.53
76.9422.78
87.9426.04
98.9329.29
109.9232.54
1110.9135.80
1211.9039.05
1312.9042.31
1413.8945.56
1514.8848.82
1615.8752.07

Given the relatively large 173 Hz half wavelength, standing waves will occur at that frequency in small listening rooms.

You can try to minimze the room modes at 173 Hz by trying different speaker positions, listening positions or by placing bass traps. These can absorb frequencies as low as 63 Hz.

How To Convert 173 Hz To ms

A Hz (Hertz) is a cycle (or period) per second.

Because a 173 Hz wave will ocillate 173 times per second, we can find the time of a single cycle (or period) with the formula p = 1/f where:

  • f is the frequency of the wave = 173 Hz

The result will be expressed in seconds, so let's multiply by 1000 to get miliseconds:

1 / 173 Hz * 1000 = 5.78 ms.