185 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 185 Hz Wavelength?

A 185 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 1.86 meters, 185.52 cm, 6.09 feet (6 feet and 1.04 inches) or 73.04 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 = 185 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 1.86 meters, or 6.09 feet.

185 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 185 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 185 Hz wavelength (m)185 Hz wavelength (ft)
-40-401.65455.4282
-35-311.67215.4860
-30-221.68965.5433
-25-131.70695.6000
-20-41.72405.6562
-1551.74095.7118
-10141.75775.7668
-5231.77435.8213
0321.79085.8754
5411.80715.9289
10501.82335.9819
15591.83936.0345
20681.85526.0867
25771.87106.1383
30861.88666.1896
35951.90216.2404
401041.91756.2909

185 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 185 Hz sound wave is 0.93 meters, 92.76 cm, 3.04 feet (3 feet and 0.52 inches) or 36.52 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 185 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 185 Hz wavelength = 1.86 meters, or 6.09 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

185 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.933.04
21.866.09
32.789.13
43.7112.17
54.6415.22
65.5718.26
76.4921.30
87.4224.35
98.3527.39
109.2830.43
1110.2033.48
1211.1336.52
1312.0639.56
1412.9942.61
1513.9145.65
1614.8448.69
1715.7751.74

Given the relatively large 185 Hz half wavelength, standing waves will occur at that frequency in small listening rooms.

You can try to minimze the room modes at 185 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 185 Hz To ms

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

Because a 185 Hz wave will ocillate 185 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 = 185 Hz

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

1 / 185 Hz * 1000 = 5.41 ms.