242 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 242 Hz Wavelength?

A 242 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 1.42 meters, 141.82 cm, 4.65 feet (4 feet and 7.84 inches) or 55.84 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 = 242 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 1.42 meters, or 4.65 feet.

242 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 242 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 242 Hz wavelength (m)242 Hz wavelength (ft)
-40-401.26484.1496
-35-311.27834.1939
-30-221.29164.2377
-25-131.30494.2810
-20-41.31794.3239
-1551.33094.3664
-10141.34374.4085
-5231.35644.4502
0321.36904.4915
5411.38154.5324
10501.39384.5730
15591.40614.6132
20681.41824.6530
25771.43034.6925
30861.44224.7317
35951.45414.7706
401041.46584.8091

242 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 242 Hz sound wave is 0.71 meters, 70.91 cm, 2.33 feet (2 feet and 3.92 inches) or 27.92 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 242 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 242 Hz wavelength = 1.42 meters, or 4.65 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

242 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.712.33
21.424.65
32.136.98
42.849.31
53.5511.63
64.2513.96
74.9616.29
85.6718.61
96.3820.94
107.0923.27
117.8025.59
128.5127.92
139.2230.24
149.9332.57
1510.6434.90
1611.3537.22
1712.0639.55
1812.7641.88
1913.4744.20
2014.1846.53
2114.8948.86
2215.6051.18

Given the relatively large 242 Hz half wavelength, standing waves will occur at that frequency in small listening rooms.

You can try to minimze the room modes at 242 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 242 Hz To ms

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

Because a 242 Hz wave will ocillate 242 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 = 242 Hz

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

1 / 242 Hz * 1000 = 4.13 ms.