186 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 186 Hz Wavelength?

A 186 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 1.85 meters, 184.52 cm, 6.05 feet (6 feet and 0.65 inches) or 72.65 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 = 186 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 1.85 meters, or 6.05 feet.

186 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 186 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 186 Hz wavelength (m)186 Hz wavelength (ft)
-40-401.64565.3990
-35-311.66325.4566
-30-221.68055.5135
-25-131.69775.5699
-20-41.71475.6258
-1551.73165.6811
-10141.74835.7358
-5231.76485.7900
0321.78125.8438
5411.79745.8970
10501.81355.9498
15591.82946.0021
20681.84526.0539
25771.86096.1053
30861.87646.1563
35951.89196.2069
401041.90716.2570

186 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 186 Hz sound wave is 0.92 meters, 92.26 cm, 3.03 feet (3 feet and 0.32 inches) or 36.32 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 186 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 186 Hz wavelength = 1.85 meters, or 6.05 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

186 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.923.03
21.856.05
32.779.08
43.6912.11
54.6115.13
65.5418.16
76.4621.19
87.3824.22
98.3027.24
109.2330.27
1110.1533.30
1211.0736.32
1311.9939.35
1412.9242.38
1513.8445.40
1614.7648.43
1715.6851.46

Given the relatively large 186 Hz half wavelength, standing waves will occur at that frequency in small listening rooms.

You can try to minimze the room modes at 186 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 186 Hz To ms

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

Because a 186 Hz wave will ocillate 186 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 = 186 Hz

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

1 / 186 Hz * 1000 = 5.38 ms.