Final answer:
Without knowing the exact time for the echo to return, we cannot calculate the specific distance of the man from the cliff. The formula to calculate the distance involves halving the product of the speed of sound and the echo time. The speed of sound is given as 320 m/s.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how far away the man is from the cliff, we need to know the time it takes for the echo to return after firing the pistol. In this scenario, the echo takes a certain amount of time to travel to the cliff and back to the man. The speed of sound is given as 320 m/s, and though the exact time is not provided, let us assume for our calculation purposes that the echo time is 2 seconds, which is a common example used within similar problems.
Since the sound has to travel to the cliff and back, the total distance covered by the sound is the distance to the cliff times two. The formula to calculate the distance to the cliff is:
Distance to cliff = (Speed of sound x Time of echo) / 2
Using the provided speed of sound, if the time it takes for the echo to return is T seconds, the calculation would be:
Distance to cliff = (320 m/s x T) / 2
To find the exact distance, the time T would need to be known. Without the time, we cannot calculate the precise distance.