Question

A severe storm on January 10, 1992, caused a cargo ship near the Aleutian Islands to spill 29,000 rubber ducks and other bath toys into the ocean. Ten months later hundreds of rubber ducks began to appear along the shoreline near Sitka, Alaska, roughly 1600 miles away.

What was the approximate average speed of the ocean current that carried the ducks to shore in m/s and in mi/h? (Rubber ducks from the same spill began to appear on the coast of Maine in July 2003.)

Answer 1

The approximate average speed of the ocean current was 0.099 m/s (meters per second) and 0.222 mi/h (miles per hour), calculated over a journey of 1600 miles and a duration of approximately 10 months.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the approximate average speed of the ocean current that carried the rubber ducks to shore, we need to know the distance they traveled and the time it took. As stated, the ducks traveled approximately 1600 miles from the Aleutian Islands to Sitka, Alaska. If the journey began on January 10, 1992, and the ducks were found ten months later, we assume they arrived around the beginning of November 1992, giving us a travel time of about 10 months or approximately 300 days.

First, we convert the time into seconds (since there are 86400 seconds in a day): 300 days × 86400 seconds/day = 25920000 seconds. To find the speed in miles per hour, we convert the time into hours (since there are 24 hours in a day): 300 days × 24 hours/day = 7200 hours.

Next, we calculate the speed:

• Speed in m/s (using 1 mile = 1609.34 meters): (1600 miles × 1609.34 m/mile) / 25920000 seconds ≈ 0.099 m/s.
• Speed in mi/h: 1600 miles / 7200 hours ≈ 0.222 mi/h.

The approximate average speed of the ocean current that carried the rubber ducks to shore was 0.099 meters per second (m/s) and 0.222 miles per hour (mi/h).