Question

Joanna wants to determine the speed of sound in xenon. When she plays a tone with a frequency of 440 Hz, the resulting sound wave has a wavelength of 40.4 cm.

1090 m/s

178 m/s

92 m/s

343 m/s

Answer 1

To determine the speed of sound in xenon, we can use the relationship between speed, frequency, and wavelength, which is given by the formula:

\[
\text{Speed} = \text{Frequency} \times \text{Wavelength}
\]

Given:
- Frequency \( f = 440 \) Hz
- Wavelength \( \lambda = 40.4 \) cm = 0.404 m (since 1 cm = 0.01 m)

Now, we can substitute these values into the formula:

\[
\text{Speed} = 440 \, \text{Hz} \times 0.404 \, \text{m}
\]

Calculating this gives:

\[
\text{Speed} = 440 \times 0.404 = 177.76 \, \text{m/s}
\]

Rounding to two decimal places, we find that the speed of sound in xenon is approximately 178 m/s. Therefore, the correct answer is:

**178 m/s**