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Topic: wavelength and frequency  (Read 5040 times)

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kaukeo

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wavelength and frequency
« on: October 04, 2006, 08:25:15 PM »
I'm really lost about the formulas for this unit.

1. Water has a strong infrared absorbance at 1500 cm-1. What is the wavelength of this frequency?

I tried frequency = (3.00*108) / 15-1 (after i converted to m).

But my answer isn't on my answer key. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Offline mike

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Re: wavelength and frequency
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2006, 09:06:06 PM »
I thought 1500cm-1 is a wavenumber so the wavelength is just the inverse of this. In other words this is the wavelength (or inverse wavelength, and not frequency).

So wavelength is 1/1500 = 6.66x10-4cm
There is no science without fancy, and no art without facts.

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