Question

An ocean wave has a wavelength of 2 meters and a period of 5 seconds. what is the speed of the wave? 0.4 m/s 2.5 m/s 10 m/s 50 m/s

Answer 1

It takes the wave 5 seconds to traverse 2m. Divide 2 by 5, 0.4m/s

Answer 2

0.4 m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

The frequency of the wave is equal to the reciprocal of the period:

`f=(1)/(T)=(1)/(5s)=0.2 Hz`

For a wave, wavelength, speed and frequency are related by the following equation:

`v=f\lambda`

where

v is the speed of the wave

f is the frequency

`\lambda` is the wavelength

For the water wave in this problem,
`f=0.2 Hz` and
`\lambda=2 m`, so the speed of the wave is

`v=f\lambda=(0.2 Hz)(2 m)=0.4 m/s`