Spectrum Lab
Connect frequency, wavelength, energy and visible color
Relate frequency, wavelength and energy, and explore harmonic multiples and octave relationships. Visible colors are a visual mapping, not a measurement of emitted light.
Key idea
For electromagnetic waves in a vacuum, frequency and wavelength vary inversely. Photon energy increases with frequency. Visible color occupies only a small part of this spectrum; sound is a different kind of wave.
Try this first
Choose a frequency and compare the displayed wavelength and energy. Move through neighboring bands, then explore octave or harmonic relationships. Keep track of the physical quantity being changed instead of treating color as an independent measurement.
How to get started
- Set a frequency and choose the display units; compare its wavelength, energy and spectrum band.
- Enable harmonics and select a multiple to compare it with the fundamental.
- Explore the octave-to-color mapping and play frequencies within the audible range. Changing the drawing does not turn sound into physical light.
Explore a little further
Try another experiment
Compare red and violet light. Follow frequency, wavelength and photon energy together. Then move outside the visible range and notice why a displayed color cannot literally represent every wavelength.
Good to know
Frequency-to-color relationships are visual mappings within the tool. Shifting a sound by octaves toward a visible-light range does not make the sound itself emit that color of light.
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