What is the frequency of infrared radiation that has a wavelength of 1.25 x 103 nm?
Using the equation:
where:
v = frequency (in units of "per second", or s-1
c = speed of light at 3.0 x 108 m/s
= wavelength in units of nanometers (nm)
Solving for frequency, we have the equation:
To ensure that our units match, we must convert the wavelength from nanometers to meters:
1.25 x 103 nm * (1 x 10-9 meters / 1 nm) = 1.25 x 10-6 m
Now, it's just a simple "plug and chug":
v = 3.00 x 108 m s-1 / 1.25 x 10-6 m
= 2.40 x 1014 s-1 or 2.40 x 1014 s-1 hertz (Hz)