197 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 197 Hz Wavelength?

A 197 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 1.74 meters, 174.22 cm, 5.72 feet (5 feet and 8.59 inches) or 68.59 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 = 197 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 1.74 meters, or 5.72 feet.

197 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 197 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 197 Hz wavelength (m)197 Hz wavelength (ft)
-40-401.55375.0975
-35-311.57035.1519
-30-221.58675.2057
-25-131.60295.2589
-20-41.61905.3116
-1551.63495.3638
-10141.65075.4155
-5231.66635.4667
0321.68175.5175
5411.69705.5677
10501.71225.6176
15591.72735.6669
20681.74225.7159
25771.75705.7644
30861.77175.8126
35951.78625.8603
401041.80075.9077

197 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 197 Hz sound wave is 0.87 meters, 87.11 cm, 2.86 feet (2 feet and 10.3 inches) or 34.3 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 197 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 197 Hz wavelength = 1.74 meters, or 5.72 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

197 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.872.86
21.745.72
32.618.57
43.4811.43
54.3614.29
65.2317.15
76.1020.01
86.9722.86
97.8425.72
108.7128.58
119.5831.44
1210.4534.30
1311.3237.15
1412.2040.01
1513.0742.87
1613.9445.73
1714.8148.59
1815.6851.44

Given the relatively large 197 Hz half wavelength, standing waves will occur at that frequency in small listening rooms.

You can try to minimze the room modes at 197 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 197 Hz To ms

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

Because a 197 Hz wave will ocillate 197 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 = 197 Hz

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

1 / 197 Hz * 1000 = 5.08 ms.