Praxis SLP Licensure Exam

If the pitch of a vowel begins at 200 Hz, what is the period at the start of the vowel?

1. 0.005 sec

2. 0.05 sec

3. 0.005 Hz

4. 0.05 Hz

The correct answer is: 0.005 sec

To determine the period of a vowel sound given its pitch frequency, it's important to understand the relationship between frequency and period. Frequency (measured in Hertz, Hz) refers to the number of cycles or vibrations per second, while the period (measured in seconds) is the duration of one complete cycle. The formula to find the period is: \[ \text{Period} = \frac{1}{\text{Frequency}} \] If the pitch of a vowel begins at 200 Hz, you would calculate the period as follows: \[ \text{Period} = \frac{1}{200} \] \[ \text{Period} = 0.005 \text{ seconds} \] This means that one complete cycle of the sound wave occurs in 0.005 seconds when the pitch is at 200 Hz. Therefore, the correct answer reflects this relationship, showcasing that a higher frequency results in a shorter period. Understanding this calculation is crucial for working with sound waves in speech-language pathology, as it relates to the perception of pitch and the characteristics of vocalization.