In: Physics
Waves travel at different velocity in different medium. How does wave velocity effect wave frequency?
The wave velocity increases the wave frequency if the velocity is high. It also decreases the frequency if the wave velocity is low. This is because the higher the velocity, the higher the wavelength and vise versa.
When a mechanical wave (waves other than light/em radiation) is
created, it must move through a medium. Through different mediums,
waves travel at different speeds (depending on how rapidly the
molecules/particles of the medium are moving and how close together
they are). When a wave is created, it has a certain speed
(depending on the medium) and its frequency depends on the
resonant frequency
of the source; so the wavelength depends on a combination of the
two (using velocity=wavelength*frequency). When a wave passes
through a new medium, the speed changes, because it depends on the
medium, and the wavelength also changes because it depends on the
other two. Frequency does not change in a change of
mediums.
Summing up, the medium does not affect a waves frequency. The
source is the only thing that determines it.