Question

Which statement is TRUE regarding equipment for sound signals?

1) Manual sounding of the bell and gong must always be possible
2) A vessel of less than 12 meters in length need not have any sound signal equipment
3) Automatic sounding of signals is not permitted
4) Any vessel over 12 meters in length must have a gong

Answer 1

To determine ocean depth at a certain point using sonar, multiply the speed of sound in seawater (1450 m/s) by half the time interval it takes for the sound wave to return (2.5 seconds), which gives a depth of 1812.5 meters.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question relates to how the depth of the ocean can be determined using the properties of sound waves in a process called sonar. When a ship uses a transducer to send out a sound wave, this wave travels to the ocean floor and reflects back to the ship. By knowing the speed of sound in sea water and measuring the time it takes for the echo to return, the distance to the seabed can be calculated. Considering the speed of sound in seawater is approximately 1450 m/s, if a signal takes 2.5 seconds to return, the calculation for ocean depth would be:

Depth = 1450 m/s × (2.5 seconds / 2)

Depth = 1450 m/s × 1.25 seconds

Depth = 1812.5 meters

Therefore, the ocean is 1812.5 meters deep at that point. This application of sonar is crucial for navigation and exploration purposes.