Final answer:
To calculate the height of the cliff, subtract the time it takes for the sound to travel back from the total time it took for the sound to be heard and use the formula height = (speed of sound * time) / 2.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the height of the cliff, we need to calculate the time it takes for the sound to travel from the top of the cliff to the ocean. The time it takes for the sound to travel can be found by subtracting the time it takes for the sound to travel back from the total time it took for the sound to be heard. In this case, the total time is 3.7 s and the speed of sound is 340 m/s. Therefore, the time for the sound to travel and return is 3.7 s - 3.7 s = 1.85 s.
Using the equation distance = speed * time, we can calculate the distance. So, the height of the cliff is given by the formula height = (speed of sound * time) / 2.
Plugging in the values, we get height = (340 m/s * 1.85 s) / 2 = 314.5 m.