688 Hz Wavelength

How Long Is a 688 Hz Wavelength?

A 688 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of 0.5 meters, 49.89 cm, 1.64 feet (1 feet and 7.64 inches) or 19.64 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 = 688 Hz
which gives a wavelength λ of 0.5 meters, or 1.64 feet.

688 Hz Wavelength Depending on Temperature

The speed of sound in air depends on temperature. Here is how the wavelenght of a 688 Hz sound wave will vary according to temperature:

Temp (°C) Temp (°F) 688 Hz wavelength (cm)688 Hz wavelength (in)
-40-4044.488717.5153
-35-3144.963217.7021
-30-2245.432817.8869
-25-1345.897618.0699
-20-446.357618.2510
-15546.813218.4304
-101447.264418.6080
-52347.711318.7840
03248.154118.9583
54148.592819.1310
105049.027619.3022
155949.458619.4719
206849.885819.6401
257750.309519.8069
308650.729619.9723
359551.146220.1363
4010451.559520.2990

688 Hz Half Wavelength and Standing Waves

The half wavelength of a 688 Hz sound wave is 0.25 meters, 24.94 cm, 0.82 feet (0 feet and 9.82 inches) or 9.82 inches when travelling in air at 20°C (68°F).

Modes (or standing waves) will occur at 688 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 688 Hz wavelength = 0.5 meters, or 1.64 feet in air at 20°C (68°F).

688 Hz Standing Waves Distances

n Distance (m) Distance (ft)
10.250.82
20.501.64
30.752.46
41.003.27
51.254.09

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

Given the relatively small 688 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 688 Hz To ms

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

Because a 688 Hz wave will ocillate 688 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 = 688 Hz

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

1 / 688 Hz * 1000 = 1.45 ms.