406 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 406 Hz Wavelength?

A 406 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 0.85 meters, 84.54 cm, 2.77 feet (2 feet and 9.28 inches) or 33.28 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 = 406 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 0.85 meters, or 2.77 feet.

406 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 406 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 406 Hz wavelength (cm)406 Hz wavelength (in)
-40-4075.389829.6810
-35-3176.193929.9976
-30-2276.989630.3109
-25-1377.777130.6209
-20-478.556830.9279
-15579.328831.2318
-101480.093431.5328
-52380.850731.8310
03281.601032.1264
54182.344432.4191
105083.081332.7092
155983.811632.9967
206884.535633.2817
257785.253533.5644
308685.965433.8446
359586.671434.1226
4010487.371734.3983

406 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 406 Hz sound wave is 0.42 meters, 42.27 cm, 1.39 feet (1 feet and 4.64 inches) or 16.64 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 406 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 406 Hz wavelength = 0.85 meters, or 2.77 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

406 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.421.39
20.852.77
31.274.16
41.695.55
52.116.93

We typically don't treat rooms for standing waves above 300 Hz.

Given the relatively small 406 Hz half wavelength, you can treat your room by using thick acoustic foam. This will absorb frequencies as low as 250 Hz, and all the way up to 20,000 Hz.

How To Convert 406 Hz To ms

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

Because a 406 Hz wave will ocillate 406 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 = 406 Hz

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

1 / 406 Hz * 1000 = 2.46 ms.