Question

A floating object oscillates up and down 2 complete cycles in 1 second as a water wave of wavelength 5 meters passes by. The speed of the wave is

Answer 1

10 m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

The speed of a wave is given by

`v=\lambda f`

where

`\lambda` is the wavelength

f is the frequency

For the wave in this problem,

- The frequency is given by the number of oscillations per second, so

`f=(2 cycles)/(1 s)=2 Hz`

- The wavelength is

`\lambda=5 m`

So, the wave speed is

`v=(5 m)(2 Hz)=10 m/s`