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Factors Affecting Wave Speed:
The speed of a wave is dependent upon the properties of the medium through which the wave is moving. An alteration in the properties of the medium will result in a change in the speed at which the wave moves through that medium.
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Use the audio file to hear a helpful tip.
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The speed of a wave is often calculated as the product of frequency and wavelength. This gives many students the wrong impression that the speed of a wave depends upon frequency and wavelength. But don't be fooled! The speed of a wave is independent of its frequency and wavelength. A high frequency sound wave is not necessarily a high speed sound wave. A high frequency sound wave is a low wavelength sound wave. The speed of the sound wave simply depends upon the properties of the medium through which the wave is traveling. Making the frequency bigger will only cause the wavelength to become smaller.
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If there are several sound waves traveling through the same sample of air, then there is one thing that you can be sure of. Each of the sound waves is traveling with the same speed. After all, if the speed of a wave is dependent solely upon the properties of the medium, then all waves that travel through a particular medium will travel through it at the same speed. Alterations in wave properties (amplitude, intensity, frequency and wavelength) will not alter the speed of a wave.
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