Question

I've been stuck on this question for awhile, and I need some serious help:
The laser in an audio compact disc player uses light with a frequency of 3.844 × 10^14 Hz. Calculate the wavelength of this light in nm.

Answer 1

you've got a wave of light, and its frequency. Use the equation that combines wavelength, frequency, and speed\[ c = \lambda * \nu\]

Answer 2

Thank you! I've got that part down, it's jut the question of converting from frequency (in Hz) to nanometers that has been driving me mad. I need help actually going through the problem so I can understand it and know how to apply it to the rest of the questions which I have to answer.

Answer 3

you're given the frequency, and the speed of light is a constant, so you're solving for the wavelength, which will be in meters

Answer 4

Yes, I know this part :) My issue is that every time I try to calculate for finding the wavelength in nanometers, I have the wrong answer. I was wondering if someone was willing to go through the problem step by step with me, until we get the right answer.
I know the equation is:
c = λv
and that in order to solve for wavelength, it needs to be:
λ = c/v
And I know that the frequency (v) is 3.844 * 10^14, and that the speed of light (c) is 3 * 10^8. I just don't know how to go about calculated the problem into a situation where the answer will be in nanometers.

Answer 5

I meant to say "calculating," not "calculated" in the last sentence ^

Answer 6

you need a calculator that knows scientific notation properly, something other than what's on your phone. If you punch in "3 * 10^8" for the speed of light, you won't get the right kind of answer, because that's not how calculators want their scientific notation written

Look for a button labeled "EE" or "EXP"

Answer 7

your answer will come out in units of meters, you have to trade that scientific notation into one using the \(nano-\) prefix, which is equal to \(10^{-9}\)

Answer 8

Alright, cool! Thank you for helping me!