250 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 250 Hz Wavelength?

A 250 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 1.37 meters, 137.29 cm, 4.5 feet (4 feet and 6.05 inches) or 54.05 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 = 250 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 1.37 meters, or 4.5 feet.

250 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 250 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 250 Hz wavelength (m)250 Hz wavelength (ft)
-40-401.22434.0168
-35-311.23744.0597
-30-221.25034.1021
-25-131.26314.1440
-20-41.27584.1856
-1551.28834.2267
-10141.30074.2674
-5231.31304.3078
0321.32524.3478
5411.33734.3874
10501.34924.4266
15591.36114.4656
20681.37294.5041
25771.38454.5424
30861.39614.5803
35951.40754.6179
401041.41894.6552

250 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 250 Hz sound wave is 0.69 meters, 68.64 cm, 2.25 feet (2 feet and 3.02 inches) or 27.02 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 250 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 250 Hz wavelength = 1.37 meters, or 4.5 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

250 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.692.25
21.374.50
32.066.76
42.759.01
53.4311.26
64.1213.51
74.8115.76
85.4918.02
96.1820.27
106.8622.52
117.5524.77
128.2427.02
138.9229.28
149.6131.53
1510.3033.78
1610.9836.03
1711.6738.29
1812.3640.54
1913.0442.79
2013.7345.04
2114.4247.29
2215.1049.55

Given the relatively large 250 Hz half wavelength, standing waves will occur at that frequency in small listening rooms.

You can try to minimze the room modes at 250 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 250 Hz To ms

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

Because a 250 Hz wave will ocillate 250 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 = 250 Hz

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

1 / 250 Hz * 1000 = 4 ms.