Wave Speed Relation
A radio station broadcasts electromagnetic waves at a frequency of 100 megahertz that travel at the speed of light, so what is the wavelength of these radio waves?
Select the correct option:
Solution
3 m
The fundamental wave relation from NCERT Class 11, Chapter 15 (Waves) links speed, frequency and wavelength as v=fλ, so the wavelength is λ=v/f. For radio waves the speed is that of light, v=3×108 m/s, and the frequency is f=100 MHz =100×106=108 Hz. Dividing, λ=1083×108=3 m. The option 30 m would result from using 10 MHz instead of 100 MHz. The option 0.3 m arises from a factor-of-ten slip in the exponent, using 109 Hz. The option 300 m corresponds to a 1 MHz AM-band frequency, not the given FM value. A plausibility check: FM radio around 100 MHz is well known to have wavelengths of a few metres, and the units work out since dividing metres per second by inverse seconds leaves metres, confirming both magnitude and dimensions of the answer.
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- oscillations and waves
- Topic
- wave speed relation
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
3 m
The fundamental wave relation from NCERT Class 11, Chapter 15 (Waves) links speed, frequency and wavelength as v=fλ, so the wavelength is λ=v/f. For radio waves the speed is that of light, v=3×108 m/s, and the frequency is f=100 MHz =100×106=108 Hz. Dividing, λ=1083×108=3 m. The option 30 m would result from using 10 MHz instead of 100 MHz. The option 0.3 m arises from a factor-of-ten slip in the exponent, using 109 Hz. The option 300 m corresponds to a 1 MHz AM-band frequency, not the given FM value. A plausibility check: FM radio around 100 MHz is well known to have wavelengths of a few metres, and the units work out since dividing metres per second by inverse seconds leaves metres, confirming both magnitude and dimensions of the answer.
This easy difficulty physics question is from the chapter oscillations and waves, covering the topic of wave speed relation. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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