542 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 542 Hz Wavelength?

A 542 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 0.63 meters, 63.32 cm, 2.08 feet (2 feet and 0.93 inches) or 24.93 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 = 542 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 0.63 meters, or 2.08 feet.

542 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 542 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 542 Hz wavelength (cm)542 Hz wavelength (in)
-40-4056.472822.2334
-35-3157.075122.4705
-30-2257.671222.7052
-25-1358.261122.9374
-20-458.845123.1674
-15559.423423.3950
-101459.996123.6205
-52360.563423.8439
03261.125524.0651
54161.682424.2844
105062.234324.5017
155962.781424.7171
206863.323724.9306
257763.861525.1423
308664.394725.3523
359564.923625.5605
4010465.448225.7670

542 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 542 Hz sound wave is 0.32 meters, 31.66 cm, 1.04 feet (1 feet and 0.47 inches) or 12.47 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 542 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 542 Hz wavelength = 0.63 meters, or 2.08 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

542 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.321.04
20.632.08
30.953.12
41.274.16
51.585.19

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

Given the relatively small 542 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 542 Hz To ms

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

Because a 542 Hz wave will ocillate 542 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 = 542 Hz

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

1 / 542 Hz * 1000 = 1.85 ms.